Looking for Something to Do
by ArthM
Summary: Nico is bored. Very bored. So much so that it's starting to get on Will's nerves - so he decides to find Nico some sort of project to occupy himself with. This turns out to be far more trouble than it's worth. Set shortly after BoO. Established Solangelo.
1. How to Entertain a Demigod

**Hi. I've read quite a few of these now - apologies for anything in here inadvertently borrowed - but this is my first story for this fandom. Reviews greatly appreciated. I own nothing, of course.**

* * *

**How to Entertain a Demigod**

* * *

"Will? I'm bored."

Will looked up from the grass at Nico, who was sitting, cross-legged, on a tree-stump overlooking the lake. He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

If there was one thing he now knew about Nico, it was that he was kind-of, well, needy. Not needy in a particularly narcissistic way, no. Nor did he necessarily know that he was being so – there was no other word for it – needy. Not that it wasn't quite nice that Nico now acknowledged needing things from people. And knew that other people were happy to help. And, true, it was especially nice that when Nico needed things, he usually needed them from him – that he, in fact, needed _him_. A need reciprocated, indeed. But, in this case, this constant need for novelty – again, it was endearing, cute, _nice_, and Will even liked it in Nico, but…

Just not necessarily all the time.

He was a healer, he had deep wells of care inside of him, and Nico was entitled to every drop. And he never begrudged Nico anything – nor, he suspected, did Nico do likewise with him. But it did, just now and then, and just on this one particular subject, get – sorry, Nico – a little _wearing_.

It was this plaintive cry of 'boredom' that got to Will. Not because of the thing in itself (who didn't get bored?), or its frequency (though Nico did bring it up quite a lot), but because Will simply didn't know what to _do_ about it.

And that kind-of needled at him.

(And what was with the proliferation of 'n' alliteration when he was near – next-to – _around_ – Nico?)

"Sunshine?"

It was, Will supposed, understandable. After all, when you'd had a pretty big part in saving (and – sorry again, Nico – occasionally endangering) the world between your eleventh and fifteenth birthdays, anything else would seem pretty flat. And everything else that had happened along the way.

You'd think he'd be relieved. Relaxed, even. He didn't have to deal with any of that stuff anymore. Well, for however long 'anymore' lasted, at least.

That really wasn't Nico, though. It was true that there had been a brief honeymoon period after the last battle at the camp, but that was finished, its ending coinciding with the end of summer and the departure of most of the campers. Even Percy and Annabeth had left. So here Nico was, as the autumn leaves browned and dropped from the trees, with nothing to do.

"Will!"

"Huh?" Will blinked at Nico. "What's up?"

"You've got a thoughtful look on your face. It's weird."

Will flashed a grin. "Am I not allowed to ponder, Death Boy?"

"No." Nico smirked. "You haven't the right facilities for it."

"And what's _that_ meant to mean?" huffed Will.

"Nothing, nothing…" Nico's lips twitched. "Anyway, back to the important point. Me. Bored."

"Time would pass faster if you used verbs," said Will sweetly.

Nico gave him a sidelong look, which seemed to send a small shadow with it. It vanished the instant that Nico playfully stuck out his tongue. "Yeah. Whatever."

Will pulled himself into a sitting position, and swivelled so that he was leaning against the tree trunk. He twisted his head up and around, and batted his eyelashes. "Am I not entertaining enough for you?"

Nico laughed – always, Will thought, a thing rare, unused, and rather prone to sounding weird. This one was no exception. Even Nico looked a little surprised at it.

"I could tell you jokes…?" suggested Will. "Have you ever heard the one about the satyr –"

"Yes," said Nico, his voice flat. "Percy's told me all the jokes about Grover."

"Not _all_ jokes about satyrs are jokes about Grover," pointed out Will.

Now it was Nico's turn to raise an eyebrow. Will didn't hold out for long:

"OK, OK, maybe they _are_ all about Grover!"

Nico smiled for a moment, and then went back to being thoughtful.

"What are you good at?" asked Will.

Nico's expression soured. He counted on his fingers: "Killing things – usually monsters. Fighting. Attracting monsters. Moping. Travelling around the worlds. All of them. Creeping people out. Fighting, again."

"There's always training."

Nico made a derisive snort. "Against who? Without Percy here I beat everyone flat. As I think I've said: boring."

"What do you like, then?" offered Will.

Nico pursed his lips. "You." He blushed. "Sorry. Couldn't resist the opportunity to be cheesy."

Will barked a laugh. "Come on, Necro, I'm trying to help you here."

"It's OK for you. You like making people better. You're good at it. You've got your infirmary. That keeps you busy. And by the way – 'Necro'?"

Will shrugged and smiled. "Why not? As for the Infirmary, hardly anyone comes in in the winter, and even then it's usually just for a cold, and there's not that much that can be done about those."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. No real need to, either. Your immune system just has to do its job. I can supply pocket-handkerchiefs, and that's about it."

"Even so," continued Nico, "you've still got paperwork –"

Will rolled his eyes. "Yeah. _Paper_work –"

"– I know you like it!"

Will blushed. "Maybe a bit…"

"A-ha!" Nico messed his hand through Will's hair. "You can't lie to me!" He deepened his voice. "I can see into your soul."

Will puffed his hair away from his face. The lack of decent hair-cuts was one of the –admittedly not that many – annoying things about Aphrodite's kids being so unattractive to monsters, and so going home, he mused.

"You could do that," he suggested.

"What, cut hair?" said Nico, sceptical.

Will stared at him. "Did you –"

"Read your mind?" Nico grinned. "No. But I've seen that expression on your face before, Sunshine. You're predictably vain."

"Well, then," said Will, pouting, "I _meant_ going down and asking your dad for a holiday-job. He's always complaining about the queues."

"As a judge of the dead?" Nico pulled a face. "No thank you!" He affectionately rubbed the toe of his trainer against Will's shoulder. "Besides, what about you?"

"I could help?"

"_You_? It would be a disaster! You'd believe every sob-story. Let everyone off!"

"Well, no – maybe – would that be _so_ bad?"

"Yes! What about justice?"

"What about mercy?" shot back Will, a smug grin pulling at his mouth.

Nico stared at him for a moment in silent thought. "Shut up."

"Ha! I knew I'd get you!"

"You know," said Nico coolly, "if you spent the winter in the Underworld, you'd come out as pale as me…"

Will made a face of feigned terror. "No!" He cracked into a smile. "There's always spray-on tan."

Nico laughed again – one more normal this time, Will thought. It had warmed up, maybe. From the dwindling rays of the October sun. Or probably just he'd had a practice go a few minutes earlier.

"No," said Nico, absently picking up a stray pebble, weighing it in his hand, and attempting to skim it across the lake. It dropped under the water with a _splash_. "The Underworld is not an option."

"Well, what, then?" asked Will. "We live, it seems, for once, in unheroic times." He, too, went to skim a stone. It bounced once, twice – _splash_.

"I'm superfluous to requirements," sighed Nico. One, two, _three_ – _splash._

"Exactly." _Splash. _(After three.)

"Ah, well, maybe something will turn up." (One, two, three, four, fi – _splash_) "Or I can improve my canasta game."

"Canasta?"

"It's what Chiron and Mr D. play, right?"

"No, Pinochle." (Five. _Splash._)

"That's not the same?" (Five – almost hit a Naiad… _Splash_)

"Definitely not." (Six!) "Uh, we don't want to upset the water nymphs, Nico."

"Just because you're winning!" (Six – _splash_.)

"There is no 'winning'. But that –" _Splash_ "– is seven. Beat that." Will beamed up at Nico.

Not taking his eyes off Will, Nico nonchalantly flicked his wrist. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven –

"Ouch!" cried Will, rubbing the back of his head. The wet stone tumbled to the ground behind him. "You shadow-travelled that – cheat!"

Nico attempted an innocent expression. It didn't really work. "Me…?"

"Yes, Death Boy – _you_." With that, Will's hand shot out and grabbed Nico's ankle. With a deft movement, he pulled him off the tree-stump. Nico fell on top of Will, laughing – third time not, unfortunately, the charm. The laugh was as odd as the first one. But Will didn't really have time to focus on that, as he'd rather underestimated the momentum created by Nico's movement. Off-balance, the pair of them rolled, helpless, down the bank –

"No – Will! –"

"Nico – Stop!"

_Splash._

* * *

Nico would have happily lain there in the shallows with his boyfriend for ages, but Will, almost instantly on touching the water, had sprung shrieking into the air.

"Gods, that's _freezing!"_

Nico eyed Will, standing, dripping, on the bank. "Is it?"

"Yes! Come out of there! You'll catch a cold, and then I'll have to –"

"Be unable to do anything about it?"

Will thought for a moment. "Oh. Yeah. So – all the more reason! Out!"

Grinning, Nico got up and walked out of the water. He put his arm around Will's waist, ignoring the wet squelchiness of the feeling. "You know that that was all your fault, right?" he said, as they walked back to the cabins.

"Well, you said you were bored."

Nico laughed – almost normal – and then kissed Will. "I was really talking about a more permanent state of being…"

Will shrugged. "It was a start, I guess. Now –" (here they stopped outside Nico's cabin) "– get dry, and I'll see you later, OK?"

Nico squeezed Will's hands. "Sooner even than that, Sunshine."

The door closed, and Will padded back to his own cabin. Nico's boredom was going to require some serious thought.


	2. Educating Nico

**Just a series of fluffy vignettes here, but see if you can spot some plot amongst the film references (extra marks awarded for identifying them all)...**

**Comments, criticisms, and queries are always wonderful.**

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**Educating Nico**

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"What's up, Doc?"

In retrospect, the holding stage of Project Find-Nico-Something-To-Do had slightly backfired.

Will had thought it a kind act to introduce Nico to the childhood that he should have had – or that he had had, but had forgotten about. It had worked, in a way. He'd started by assigning Nico cartoons. Safe, uncontroversial (saving the changing social values between then and now), fun cartoons. He should have known that this would have happened. That Nico would be constantly quoting lines at him. In some cases, lines from films even _Will_ was unfamiliar with (not that Nico's opening line was one that Will was unfamiliar with – that one, after all, was famous). And he was a big fan of film. Nico, he supposed, always was something of a – a collector. Of cards, grudges, and, now, movie quotes.

He sent a slightly grumpy thought towards his dad. He wasn't asking for prophecy – just a little foresight… Or maybe that should be 'common sense'. Not, he'd heard, one of his dad's gifts. Oh, well.

"Stocktaking," he said, bluntly.

"Oh." Nico started to sidle away. "See you around, then."

"Stop."

Nico stopped.

Will got up from the stool and turned the sheaf of paper towards Nico.

"Sit."

Nico sat.

"Right. So, I'm going to go into the store-cupboard and call out how much we've got of each thing. This should speed thing up."

"And I'm helping you why…?"

"Because you are an obedient little bunny wabbit."

Nico went to reply, realised that, right here, right now, it was probably true, shrugged, and picked up the pencil. "Fine. But this is a one-off, OK? Good. So, gloves?"

"Four boxes."

"Masks?"

* * *

"Not bad, Amy. That's a real improvement, but you've got to keep practising your scales." As he spoke, Will ran his fingers smoothly up and down the strings, picking out a succession of crisp, evenly-spaced notes. "Once you've got a good grasp of the technique, then you can learn to play almost anything."

The grey eyed girl nodded.

"You promise?"

She grinned. "Promise." She packed away the instrument and stood up. "Thanks, Will. See you next week?"

Will mentally checked his calendar. "Yeah. But Wednesday, not Tuesday, OK?"

"Fine. It's not like I'm that busy outside of the summer. No-one is." She opened the door and smiled. "Isn't it so relaxing?"

Will nodded, but she'd already gone. Absent-mindedly, he plucked at the strings, pulling out a tune that he half-remembered from somewhere. With other, more musically inclined, members of cabin seven off home, Will was taking the music lessons of those remaining campers who wanted them. He wasn't quite as bad as some of his siblings would claim. Well, most of music was a willingness to have a go, wasn't it?

Focusing on the music gave him room in his head to think about what to do with Nico. He could teach him to play, he supposed, but he didn't see that as a long-term solution. Nico needed a purpose in life; unfortunately he'd been born with abilities more appropriate to a purpose in death.

Nico – Nico needed a quest. Not necessarily one with a capital 'Q', but some kind of quest nonetheless. In fact, not one with a 'Q' at all: for with one of those, like he'd had before, he would only end up in the same state. Needing to be a hero when no hero was needed.

Hmm. Will felt like he was repeating himself. And he was still no closer to an answer. Though, he thought, with a small gesture towards optimism, he reckoned he'd identified the problem. He thought he had, anyway.

It was a moment or two before he realised that he'd finished playing quite some time ago. It was a few moments after that that he noticed the narrow shadow falling over him.

He refocused his eyes and looked towards the door.

"Play it, Sam," said Nico.

"Again?" smiled Will. "For old times' sake, then." He plucked at the strings, just as he had been doing before. With Nico watching, and the fact that he was really concentrating on it, he didn't feel that it flowed quite as naturally. He frowned at his fingers.

"I don't think I've ever seen you play that thing before," said Nico as Will (fumbling a little) got to the end of the song.

"Well, on this evidence, it's not like you'd really want to…"

"Lyre."

Will put the instrument down and gave Nico a disbelieving look. Then he groaned. "Even your jokes are resurrected, Death Boy."

"I can't help it, Sunshine. I'm just a comedy miracle worker."

"Oh, there's definitely something abnormal about it…" muttered Will.

"Cheek. And there was me going to invite you to lunch." With that, Nico stepped out of the doorway. Sunlight flooded into the practice room.

Abandoning the lyre, Will rushed after him. "Nico!"

Outside, Nico was nowhere to be seen. Will frowned. He'd shadow-travelled, hadn't he?

Rolling his eyes at his boyfriend's pettiness, Will turned around. It was then he saw Nico, his back against the wall on one side of the door. In his rush, Will had run right past him…

Nico grinned and tipped an imaginary hat. "Here's looking at you, kid!"

* * *

"Is he _still_ watching that film?" asked Jason, incredulous.

Will speared a sausage and started to eat it like a lollipop. "It's a long film. It's even got an _intermission!_"

"And you're letting him skip dinner to watch it?"

Will shrugged. "He'll be done before the end of dinner. If not then I'll take him back something."

"I'm getting worried about you, you know."

"What? Me?" Will blinked in surprise.

"Mmm." Jason swallowed, and wiped a bit of gravy from the side of his mouth. Piper, had she not gone home, would not have been impressed. "You're not concerned about his health. That means there's something wrong with _you_." He thought. "In fact, more than that, you're _encouraging_ him to spend all his time watching movies! What's up with that?"

Will looked around. No Nico. He leaned forwards. "I am worried about him, but not for that reason. He just seems – well, in his own words – bored."

"Bored?"

"Yep. Not in a 'this-is-boring' way, but just the sense that he is, at heart, bored with his life."

"Ah," said Jason, knowledgeably. "That's not boredom. That's existential ennui."

Will gave him an unimpressed look. "Just because those little glasses make you _look_ smart, Grace, it doesn't mean that you actually _are_, nor give you a licence to casually drop authoritative phrases like that."

Jason smiled. "Worth a try. But I've got experience here. Like me, he doesn't know what he's meant to do now, but, unlike me, he's not fine with not knowing that."

"So I am, for the moment, distracting him until I can work out a better solution."

"And to do that, you've plonked him down in front of a TV screen?"

Will grinned wryly. "That's the quintessential modern all-American childhood that he missed out on, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but crammed into a couple of weeks?"

"He's a big boy. He can take it. It's an education - for many, the only one they get."

"That laconic cynicism of his is really starting rub off on you, Solace. It's disturbing." Jason took a drink. "You'll regret this."

"I kind-of do already… He won't stop making references to the films."

"At least he's still on the classics. You'd better be prepared for when he starts watching some of those really cheesy movie musicals. Or really anything made after about 1962. And _really_ hope he never finds out about _The Sound of Music._"

"Why '62?"

"_Lawrence of Arabia_."

"Oh, yeah. Good film. I'll be sure to get Nico to watch it."

"That's another one that'll occupy him for hours," pointed out Jason.

"Mmm. Who was he the son of?"

"Athena." Jason stared into the distance. "Pretty much the archetypal version: soldier and medieval historian."

"Is it me, or are demigods getting younger?"

Jason looked at Will, perplexed. This rapidly turned into a slightly cocky air, eerily reminiscent of Percy. "Is it my boyish charm?"

"You're no older than me," pointed out Will. "And, no, that's not what I meant at all. You notice that all the famous demigods of history are adults?"

"Well, how much of history is about children?"

"Very little. But why is most of the present demigod-ing being done by kids?"

Jason shrugged. "Fewer commitments? Imagine doing this, paying your taxes, and raising a family… Or do we just smell less as adults? I don't know. I imagine there's a reason."

"Yeah. I guess so –"

Will jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, there you are, Nico!" He reached up and put his fingers on top of Nico's.

Nico nodded, squeezed Will's shoulder, and sat down next to him. He rubbed his eyes. "That film was so _long_. And a bit inaccurate."

"Not enough hell-hounds?" put in Jason.

"Not enough hell-hounds," agreed Nico.

"I'm afraid you're too late for anything but pudding," said Will. He gestured to the materialising ice-cream in front of him apologetically.

Nico looked at it for a moment, and then smiled to himself. He lifted an eyebrow. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn…"

Will lowered his head slowly to the table, not noticing as his hair drifted into some spilt cream. He had no thoughts at all, only an overwhelming desire not to feel anything ever again…


	3. Know Thyself

**Still not totally sure where I'm going with this. But it's mostly just fun. Please review!**

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**Know Thyself (and Thy Pinochle Partner)**

* * *

Will didn't understand how this game worked. Neither, at the start, had Nico, and, as a team, they'd been pretty comprehensively beaten by Chiron and Mr D. Then in the second game Nico seemed to be getting the hang of it, and they weren't beaten by quite so much. Now, to his great surprise, they were actually winning. And this despite Will's markedly shallower learning curve.

Mr D. grinned as he put down his cards. Two Jacks of Diamonds and two Queens of Spades. "Double Pinochle," he said, smugly. "So, 300 points."

Nico looked across the table at him coolly. "Oh."

Mr D.'s grin widened.

"And there's me," said Nico sadly, "with only two marriages – Clubs were the trump suit, right? – in Trump." He put down two Kings and Queens of Clubs.

"That's only 80," smirked Mr D. "So, Mike, looks like you lo –"

"To which I'll add – because I hadn't actually finished yet –" continued Nico, his voice and face expressionless, "two Aces, two Jacks, and two Tens. All Trump, of course."

Chiron smiled. "A Double Run. How rare."

"1500 points?" inquired Nico, all innocently naïve.

Will considered laughing at Nico's matter-of-fact humbling of Mr D. Then he caught sight of Mr D.'s expression, and quickly reconsidered.

Chiron laughed ruefully and nodded, tallying up the points. "And that puts Nico and Will conclusively in the lead. Game over." He smiled at Nico and Will. "Well done."

Will bent his head and waited for the explosion. Out in the fields, the strawberry plants cowered.

There was a small hiss of air, and then nothing. Will looked up. Mr D. was slumped back in his chair, deflated. "Fine…"

Then a new force seemed to possess him and, his eyes glinting, he sat forwards. "A new game!" he cried. He looked positively intrigued by Nico. "But this time," he said, gesturing to Will and Chiron – Will's chair slid across the veranda – "one-on-one. Without the dead weight on either side."

Will and Chiron watched for a while, occasionally exchanging amused glances. It was quite close, but Will suspected, from Mr D.'s increasing irritation, that Nico was in the lead again.

Chiron put his hand to Will's arm. "I think we'd better go."

Will glanced at the intense pair of faces. "Yeah. They'll probably be a while." He walked to the end of the wooden boards, Chiron ahead of him, and then hesitated. He looked back. "He won't –"

"Hurt him? Mr D. wouldn't dare – and besides, a lot of that is just an attitude. Besides, I've beaten him often. He gets over it."

"Oh, no," smiled Will. "I was more worried about Nico doing something. He gets quite competitive…"

* * *

"I think they're playing a different game now," said Will, as they came down from the strawberries, and he peered across the shallow dip to at the Big House.

Chiron shielded his eyes with a hand. "Looks like … poker?"

Will laughed. "He'll get nowhere. Nico spent decades in a casino." He popped a stolen strawberry into his mouth.

"And, from what you know of Mr D., you think he's not spent even longer?"

"True. But how long have you been playing Pinochle? Uh, Chiron – why are we at the Archery Range?"

"Practise." Chiron handed Will a bow.

"Um. Really? You know we've tried –"

"You might be proud. It's not many that can hit a dryad."

"Especially if they're not aiming in the other direction. I'm an embarrassment to the cabin. They don't say anything, but I know they find it funny. And –" He winced and rubbed his back at the memory. "– I really don't want to hit any more dryads. It wasn't as if they didn't already hold a grudge against Apollo."

"Well, Will, there's no-one else here, so, as your camp Activities' Director, I'm directing your activity. And while you try to hit that fairly big target over there," (here Chiron lifted Will's arms and pointed him at the end of the range) "you can tell me what the problem is."

Will's head snapped around from reluctantly eyeing the straw target. "Problem? What problem?"

"The one where you think it's your purpose to find Nico his purpose."

"I – Ow! –" The string snapped forwards, twanging off Will's cheek. He scowled. "This is what this is for. A comic background event for our conversation." He paused, took a breath, and fired an arrow. It got about two thirds of the way. "How did you know?"

"I've lived a long time. I've trained a lot of heroes. Nico's in the classic condition of a hero – he can't imagine a time when he isn't saving someone or something. And you act as if you're responsible for relieving that."

Will sighed. "Yeah. You're right." He fired another arrow.

"Better, Will. Try not to flinch away from the string. I suppose it wouldn't help if I told you that it wasn't your responsibility?"

Will smiled ruefully. "No, I don't think it would. You could send him on a Quest, though. That would help. Something drawn-out. Build a tower of sand. Walk to Chile."

"I can't give him a Quest without a request from the Gods, or a prophecy. And besides – straighten up a little – aren't all those a little pointless? A waste of his time?"

"You could fake a request. A better one than either of those," suggested Will. "I – I'm the son of Apollo, I bet if I prayed really hard I could will up a prophecy. You –"

"I'll do no such thing. It's you that wants this for him; really _you_ want to be the one to make the quest."

"What, so you reckon I think that's it's my place to give him a quest? Send him off into the world on my command?"

"Precisely. You can even give him a handkerchief as a token of your love, and he can do valiant and chivalric deeds."

Will rolled his eyes at Chiron sarcasm – was Nico rubbing off on _everyone?_ – and let fly another arrow. This one stuck into the outer ring. "There are several reasons why that's not going to happen. One: we're not currently stuck in some mediaeval Romance. Nico is not a knight; nor, I'll thank you, am I his _lady_. Two: he only does what I say when he's particularly tired or preoccupied. Three: I can't think of anything that I want him to do. Four: he'd think that was stupid. Five: I don't have any handkerchiefs. Six: I don't want to do any of that!"

"But you do think that _he_ wants you to. You think that he expects you to give him a meaning to his life."

"I – I – Do I?" Will blinked. Did he?

Chiron shrugged. "Nico doesn't expect you to do that for him. The most, I think, he expects from you is to be with him as he tries to find his purpose."

Will pulled back the string, bit his lip, and then released. The arrow stuck quite close to the middle of the target. "I suppose you're right," he said, dubious. "But I still feel like I have to help him."

"I don't doubt it. And I don't expect you to stop feeling like that. But don't let it be a burden on you. It's the last thing that either of you need." Chiron clapped his hands together. "That's enough of me being 'wise' for one day – and I think we'll leave the archery on that moderate success."

Will put the bow down with visible relief. He massaged the unpractised muscles in his arm. "Shall we go back to our gambler friends?"

* * *

"What do you think they're playing now?" mused Will as they made their way back to the Big House.

"Oh, Mr D. likes something with a degree of style. Baccarat. Two-handed Bridge -"

"_SNAP!"_ burst out Nico's voice.

"Or Snap…" Chiron conceded.

Will blushed. "That might have been Nico's suggestion."

Chiron laugh ended abruptly when he reached the card table and noticed the large (untouched) wine-glass of deep red liquid next to Nico. His eyes narrowed and he glared, in a true teacher-ly way, more in disappointment than anger, at the paunchy god.

"Are you seriously willing to get a camper _drunk_ – breaking all your restrictions and responsibilities –in order to win a game of cards?"

"It's OK, I asked him for it," said Nico, looking up. "It's just pomegranate juice. See." They watched as he picked up the glass and downed the drink.

Nico blinked, coughed, and his normally pale forehead flushed bright red. When he next spoke, his voice was unusually high. "OK… So not _just_ pomegranate juice, then." Then, to Will's great shock, Nico giggled. Yes, actually giggled. Gods, how strong had that drink been?

Mr D. wouldn't meet Chiron's eyes. Will was sure that he heard him mutter something about demigods being lightweights.

"Probably time that you two were getting going," said Chiron. He'd taken the glass from Nico and was now holding it very tightly indeed. So much so that Will was quite worried that it would shatter.

"Really?" said Nico. "But we were –"

"On our way!" said Will, pulling at Nico's jumper. He really didn't want to see Chiron get angry. It would ruin the friendly, kindly image he had of him. Seeing Mr D. trampled by his hooves would not sustain that.

Nico got to his feet (on the second attempt). "See you next time!" he said brightly, before following Will off the veranda, which he achieved by entirely misjudging the position of the steps, and falling straight to the ground. Will didn't like Mr D. that much, but he hoped for his sake that Nico's dad never found out about this…

"Oops. Help?"

Will gave him a hand up. "Arise, Sir Nico," he muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing."


	4. Nico Takes a Bus Ride - Part I

**The reviews are lovely; thank you.**

* * *

**Nico Takes a Bus Ride**

**(Part I)**

* * *

"Ever done a pick-up run before, Nico?"

"Not above ground, no."

"You'll enjoy it. Bring a new face into camp."

"Ruin someone else's life."

Will tipped his head from side to side. "I think you could probably lay the blame for that on whoever their parent was. Is."

"Do we not know?" asked Nico as they passed the pine tree.

"Not yet. Probably Ares or Hermes. They have a lot of kids."

Nico nudged Will. "So does Apollo."

"True. It's kind-of embarrassing, really."

"And why are we walking out of camp? I could just shadow-travel us there and back."

"And terrify the poor thing by forcing it through a vortex of darkness?"

"It's not _that_ bad."

"You're used to it – not everyone handles it as well as you."

"And by 'not everyone', you mean _you_."

Will blushed. "Maybe…" He drew himself up. "And maybe this new kid is just the same!"

"So we're walking there, are we? I hope this isn't an urgent mission."

"No. We're taking the bus. It's not far."

"The _bus_? Have the Grey Sisters upscaled their operation, or is there some immortal bus company?"

"No," said Will, pulling out a sheet of paper in Chiron's handwriting.

"Or is your dad taking us?" Nico's eyes lit up. "Because it would be really, really-so-cool-if –

Will laughed. "No, Nico, calm down. He's not taking us."

"Then what bus?"

They turned left at the end of the road. "The 282." There was a bus-stop post. Will checked the laminated timetable. "It should be here in a couple of minutes."

Nico raised his eyebrows. "We're genuinely going by a regular, mortal, public bus?"

"Yep. Chiron's on a cost-cutting drive after the expense of the war.""

Nico wrinkled his nose. "You realise that I've got a car?

Will grinned. "Demeter's pushing the environmental angle. And she's not wrong. Besides, if shadow-travelling was bad, imagine showing up for this with your undead chauffeur."

Nico sniffed. "At least it would show a bit of class. Rather than us just tumbling off at the nearest bus-stop, clutching our 'Super Saver Day-Returns'."

"Don't be a snob, Death Boy."

"But what if there's an emergency? Are you sure that we shouldn't be in more of a hurry to collect this kid?"

"It's fine. The kid's only just been detected as accidentally, and probably unknowingly, using their powers. No monsters anywhere near, Chiron says. But better to be safe than not. You probably won't even need that thing." Will tapped Nico's sword, which was dangling from a belt hook. Now that they were in the mortal world, it was taking a significant effort not to see it as just a black Swiss Army knife. Will looked along the road. "And here's the bus!" He stuck his arm out.

Nico squinted at it. "It's really busy – I don't think there are any seats left. So that's that –"

"We can stand. It'll only be about 20 minutes."

Nico scowled. "No! There I draw the line. I won't be squashed up against someone in one of those over-filled vehicles, swinging about at every corner and bump. I'm Lord of the Shadows, Prince of the Underworld, the Ghost King –"

"And Emperor of Misplaced Outrage. Yeah, yeah." The bus stopped. Will put some money – dollars –into Nico's hand. "Now, get on the bus and ask the nice man for two return tickets."

"Oh, you think you're coming back, do you?" said Nico. Will rolled his eyes and pressed Nico forwards, onto the bus.

* * *

The bus lurched over another speed-bump. Will lost his grip on the ceiling-strap and staggered down the gangway. Nico caught him by the wrist and hauled him back.

"_You're_ the one who wanted to go on this thing," he sighed. "Now, hold on properly."

"I'd hold on better if you held it with me…" said Will, wiggling his eyebrows.

Nico went scarlet. "Not here!" he whispered. "There are – _other people_."

Will looked around at the 'other people'. Some of them were reading newspapers. Some were staring out of the window. One was trying to soothe a little child on her shoulder. About three rows back there were two women holding hands over a bag of shopping. "They don't care, Nico."

"Well, I do, OK? They might not care, but they might remember – and we don't want to draw attention to ourselves. Even this little whispered argument is a bit too much for my liking."

Will shrugged. "Fine." He grabbed the strap again. He checked his watch. "Not far now." He paused. "I've got a confession to make."

"Is it about how you ate my last cookie?" With his free hand Nico batted Will over the head. "The one I was _saving? _Because I know about that."

"You did? Sorry…" Will tried to look suitably ashamed. But it had been so tasty… "No, it's not about that."

"Well, it should have been. Because you know who I was saving it for?"

Will gave Nico a deadpan look. "Percy?"

Nico didn't even deign to reply. "Well, then, Augustine, what is it?"

"It's just that, well, ever since you told me you were bored, I've been trying to think of ways to stop it, and I think I might have been trying to organise your life for you. And I think that would have been wrong, especially without telling you. But, despite that, I'm not going to stop."

"I thought you were doing something like that."

"You did?"

"Yeah. When you started me on all those movies. That was seriously weird behaviour for you." Nico smiled a little. "I don't mind – frankly, I'm really quite flattered that it matters so much to you. But I would mind if you stopped living _your_ life because of me. OK, Sunshine? This is a 'you-and-me' deal, not a 'you-living-to-keep-me-happy' one. Don't get obsessed." Nico smirked. "I'm important, but not _that_ important."

Will nodded. "Oh, you're not? Well, that's news!"

Nico snorted in amusement. At that moment, the bus jolted to a halt. This time it was Nico who fell forwards. His flailing hand closed over the next loop along – and over the hand already holding it.

Will look down at Nico and grinned. "That wasn't too hard now, was it?"

Nico hesitated, and shook his head. "It's not too bad."

"But you're going to have to let me go. This is our stop."

* * *

Will waved a cheery goodbye to the bus-driver as they hopped off the bus. He checked the timetable. "We've got 40 minutes before the next bus. Plenty of time."

Nico winced. "_Never_ say that…"

"What could possibly go wrong?"

"_Or_ that!" Nico put his head in his hands. "We're doomed now…"

"Don't be so melodramatic," chided Will.

"I can't help it!" Nico sighed. "What are we looking for, anyway?"

"A children's home about half a block from here." Will squinted up at the signs.

"Really? Another orphan?"

"Not technically, but yeah…" Will frowned slightly. "It makes it easier to take us to Camp Half-Blood, I suppose." It was then that it occurred to him that he'd never told Nico about how he'd ended up at camp. Now wasn't the time. He looked down at the yellow piece of paper in his hands. "St Dunstan's." He looked up at the red-brick building. "It doesn't look too bad."

"It probably isn't," said Nico. "Not all demigods grow up surrounded by monsters."

"Just those at Camp Half-Blood. Especially if they go near Cabin 13 before 10 in the morning."

Nico rolled his eyes. "So, what's the master plan? We walk in and abduct the kid? Do we even known their name?"

"Andy Tate," read out Will. "And we can just ask for – him, I guess. They're expecting him to be transferred to a new home." He rummaged around in his jacket pocket. "Chiron's got official papers and everything. But we have to give the kid 'the talk' first."

"About the Greek gods?"

"And how they now only have sex with Americans."

"A-_hem_."

"Sorry, people _in_ America."

"Better." Nico frowned. "Why _is_ that?"

Will frowned. "Did you miss the bit about how 'Classical Civilization' moves in _your_ induction?"

"No, but why the geographical limitation? It's not like that happened in the past."

Will shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe only Americans can be heroes these days. But we can ponder that later. Let's go freak out a twelve-year-old."

* * *

"So you and your little brother are the children of Greek gods? And so am I?"

"Yes. And he's my little cousin, actually," said Will, smiling slightly.

"I'm no-one's little _anything_!" growled Nico. "Though," he corrected himself, "he _is_ my cousin." He thought. "Once removed."

"Oh. OK. Whose daughter am I?" said the brown-haired girl. Andy was short for Andromeda. She was taking all this remarkably well, Will thought. He remembered totally freaking out.

"We don't know yet," said Nico, drumming his fingers on the bench outside the home, the girl's single suitcase resting against his leg. "But you'll find out soon enough when they claim you."

"And when will that happen?"

"Before you're 13."

"Why?"

Nico glanced at Will. "That's a long story."

"And one, perhaps, for the bus back," said Will, smiling kindly, but also tapping at his watch.

"You're related to _gods_ and you came here by bus?"

"Told you," said Nico to Will. "It lowers the tone of the mission."

"But why are you here _now_?" asked the girl.

"To protect you," said Will.

"From what?"

Nico looked around. "I'm not sure. Hopefully nothing. But we're just making absolutely certain that you're safe."

"Um, Nico?"

"Yes, Will?"

"With all your Underworld experience, would you happen to know what _that_ is?"

Nico followed where Will was pointing.

A short distance along the road was a giant furry ant, about the size of a dog, and there were more pushing their way up from manhole covers all around them.

"Er… Not familiar."


	5. Nico Takes a Bus Ride - Part II

**We're beginning, I think, to get into the beginnings of a story. Reviews are very welcome.**

* * *

**Nico Takes a Bus Ride**

**(Part II)**

* * *

"You don't know?"

Nico shook his head. "I'm not even sure that they're technically monsters. In the Underworld-y sense. But, if you want a description, I'd be happy to go with 'giant furry ants'. He unclipped his sword and weighed it in his hand.

Said ants moved forwards. Will turned to the girl, who, far from frightened, was actually _grinning_. "Just stay here on the bench, OK? We'll protect you." She nodded. Will turned back round to face the ants, and pulled a small knife out of his inside pocket. He shrugged at Nico's unimpressed look. "It's all I've got with me. Not all of us have fancy black swords."

Nico didn't reply, but instead stepped forwards and swung at the nearest ant. It disintegrated. "You take any that get past me."

Will obligingly obeyed. Nico was quick with the sword, but he couldn't get all of them as the streamed towards him. Luckily the increase in size seemed to make the ants less resilient than the ordinary kind, for it only took a stab with the knife to destroy them. The way they disintegrated (convenient, as usual, for the mess) made them seem awfully like monsters, despite Nico's earlier –

Nico slapped his hand to his forehead. "_Now_ I remember – Myrmekes!"

"Oh, well, then, that makes everything –" Will ducked down and skewered another ant "– all OK, then!"

There were a few more puffs of exploding ants – actually, almost all of them were gone now – before Will suddenly stopped and looked thoughtful. "As in Herodotus?"

"I – uh –" _(squish)_ "– guess so, yeah. I haven't read it."

"Hmm. I thought he made all that stuff up –"

"_Will!_"

With Will not paying attention, he'd been tackled by an ant, and forced onto the ground. Its mandibles tightly pinching around his leg, it was dragging him away towards a nearby drain cover. He struggled, stabbing at it with his knife, but he couldn't get the right angle to do anything more than lop off the end of a couple of its legs. This only made the ant angrier.

Skewering the last two ants in front of him in a single motion, Nico leapt over to Will. A black slash from the sword, and the ant was gone, leaving only the ragged bottom of Will's right trouser-leg to show that it had existed at all.

Nico made a quick check to make sure that there were no more ants, before coming back to his injured boyfriend. Who wasn't injured anymore.

"That's quite a good healing trick, Sunshine," said Nico. With a glance to see that Andy was preoccupied with the twitching of a dismembered ant's leg, he kissed Will's hand.

Will smiled weakly, and got to his feet. "Yeah, but what would I do without your 'saving me' trick?" He looked down at himself. He sighed. "And I liked these jeans…"

Nico eyed him thoughtfully. With a quick motion of his sword, he slashed the left leg.

Will stared at him. "What did you do that for?"

"Now they match."

Will shook his head in resignation, and they went back to the bench.

"You guys do this a lot, do you?" asked Andy. She hadn't moved, keeping her legs tucked in her arms.

"Oh, no," said Will, trying to reassure the girl.

"Mmm," agreed Nico. "This was actually a pretty light day."

Will glared at him. Nico opened his mouth to reply; likely something about it better to be honest, but Andy spoke first:

"Cool! When do I get to do that?"

"Once you're properly trained," said Will.

"And how long does that take?"

"Ooh, _ages_," said Nico. "Ten, maybe even twenty minutes…

Will groaned inwardly. Nico's automatic response of sarcasm just shouldn't be appropriate for talking to kids. Unfortunately, this couldn't be demonstrated to him right now, as Andromeda seemed about as gleefully enthusiastic about it as Nico was cynical."

"And, on the subject of training, Will, what are the rules on talking in battle?"

"Instructions only," said Will dully. "Or if you've got something witty to say to your opponent. Except Percy, who struggles with 'witty'." He wiped the ant-residue off his knife onto a nearby tree. "Now, let's get you back to camp." Nico picked up Andy's suitcase and they started walking around the corner to the bus-stop.

After a quick glance at the clouded-over sky, Will checked the timetable. He checked his watch. He checked the timetable again. He checked his watch again. He paled.

"Ha, Nico," he said, trying to keep his voice bright, "you'll laugh…"

"At what?" said Nico, suddenly chilly.

"You know how we were going to get the next bus?"

"Yes," hissed Nico, deeply suspicious.

"Well, um," Will tugged nervously at his collar. "We may just have, er, missed it…"

Nico scowled. "I _knew_ it. You'll just have to wait for the next one, won't you?"

"We will – what? Me? Nico –!"

Nico smiled and put his hand on Andy's shoulder before stepping back into the shadow of the tree.

Will opened and closed his mouth in surprise. That was that, then.

He wished he'd thought to bring a book.

* * *

Chiron blinked as Nico stepped out from behind a cabinet, holding a girl and a suitcase.

"This is Andy."

The girl turned round to look at Nico, her eyes wide. "Can we do that again?"

"Not now. Talk to Chiron. He's nice. He'll introduce you to Mr D. He's not, generally."

Chiron looked down at Andy and gave her a reassuring smile. She beamed back up at him. It was remarkable, Nico thought, how easily she took everything in

"Hello, Chiron. Are you a centaur? What's it like having four legs? Why is there a wheelchair over there? When's dinner? Why is Nico's hair so messy? Do you have a normal stomach or a horse's stomach?"

Chiron raised his eyebrows. The girl reminded him very strongly of someone. "All in good time, Andromeda." She pulled a face at the name.

He looked over at Nico.

"Where's Will?"

"He'll be fine."

"That wasn't the question."

"He missed his bus." Nico looked pointedly at Chiron. "We got held up."

Chiron returned a look which said: 'We'll talk about that later. I'm concerned, but we shouldn't worry our new camper. Also, you really shouldn't have left Will out there.' It was, admittedly, a complicated look.

Nico nodded, his eyes saying: 'OK, I'll wait, and I am quite worried about what happened, but not so much that I think we need to involve too many people. I will, by the way, leave Will wherever I like.' Hey, Nico could do complicated looks too.

"Would you go and get Jason, Nico?" asked Chiron. "Andy and I will just be a few minutes."

Nico nodded. "Will do." He stepped out of the room.

* * *

Jason looked down at the girl beside him. She hadn't let up with the constant stream of questions. And that was a pain, because he hadn't been able to properly hear what Nico and Chiron had started talking about. Something about things getting too lax – and then something else about satyrs.

"Is this place always this empty?"

Jason zoned back into the walk around the camp. "Well, it's mostly a summer camp –people get trained up and go home able to defend themselves. We find most people in the summer, but, sometimes, there are people like you who we discover at any time. Once we know who you are, it's best if we get you trained up as soon as possible."

"So I can fight off those ants. It was lucky that those two were there just when the ants turned up. Amazing timing! When do I get to fight ants? Are they like, you know, a _thing_?"

He stared blankly at her. "What? The ants? Timing?"

"No. The two who came to pick me up."

"Oh, Nico and Will? Yeah."

"Thought so. They bicker like couples do on TV."

Jason grinned. "You've got it! It's practically the only way they interact – the defining feature of their relationship." They stopped outside the rickety cabin. "This is you. Hermes. Just until you're claimed, OK?"

"OK. When's –?"

"In twenty minutes. There'll be a horn, and –" (Jason pushed open the cabin door and saw one of the Stoll brothers lounging on a bed) "– Connor will be able to take you." He grinned at Connor. "Connor, Andy; Andy, Connor. He'll answer all the questions you've got."

"Bye, Jason! Thanks!"

He gave a jaunty salute, and wandered off. He wondered how long Connor would manage to hold out.

* * *

Nico was lying in his coffin, reading, when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" He sat up. "You've missed dinner."

He laughed to see Will slumped against the door, his hair plastered to his forehead, taking off his shoes, and with an uncharacteristic scowl on his face.

"Yeah. Well, it turned out, when the bus turned up –"

"You needed this?" Nico produced, somewhat guiltily, a bus ticket from his top pocket. "Yeah. I forgot that I had it. Sorry."

"Are you, indeed? Well, I only had the money for an under-13 ticket. Which, for a 13-18 ticket got me up to about two miles away. And then –" He hurled a shoe to the floor. It let out a little puddle as it landed. "– it started to rain! And my shoe has a hole in where the ant grabbed it."

Nico could only shrug, and laugh. "So you'll be shadow-travelling with me in future…?"

Will shivered at the thought. "No… But maybe your zombie chauffeur isn't quite so bad."

"You're weak, Sunshine, _weak_."

"Maybe. But I'm also hungry."

Nico hopped out of bed and over to a small table. He picked up a little tin-foil package. "Here. It's a chicken pie. Probably cold by now."

Will took it gratefully, and perched on the edge of another coffin, this one upturned.

"How's Andy?"

"Sending the Stoll brothers mad with her questions." Nico let Will eat in silence for a while. "I had a bit of a go at Chiron…"

Will looked up from the food. "Why?"

"There should have been more of a careful check on that girl! Where was the satyr? There was a demi-god growing up not half an hour from here and we knew nothing about it! If we hadn't turned up when we did –"

"It's funny how those ants showed up _exactly _when we did. Almost like it was _us_ that they were after, not her."

"Yeah." Nico's eyes wandered over Will's face. His boyfriend didn't seem too fazed by that thought. He just kept chewing.

"Isn't your dad in charge of monsters?"

"Kind of. They don't do what he tells them; he just lets them be reborn or not."

"He still hates heroes?"

Nico nodded. "Most of them."

Will winked. "He hasn't met me yet." He rumpled up the empty tin foil. "What's Chiron going to do about your concerns?"

"Raise them with the Council of Cloven Elders. Maybe even take them to the Winter Solstice. I think they've all been getting a little bit too laid back – relieved, exhausted, whatever – after the last war. And that's when mistakes are made."

"Yeah. We've got to keep sharp. Who knows what the next catastrophe might be." Will yawned. "Got any pudding?"

Nico raised his hands. "Sorry, no. I forgot."

"Now _that_ was a mistake and a half."


	6. The Gods Decide Everything's OK

**Thanks for the really positive response, everyone!**

* * *

**The Gods Decide Everything's OK**

* * *

"Can you two stop doing that?"

"What?" asked Nico, breaking away from Will. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and looked up a Jason, who was hanging over the seat in front. "Kissing?"

"Yeah. It's really getting excessive."

"You don't have to watch," pointed out Will. "Besides, if Piper was here –"

"Ah, _that's_ the problem," sniggered Nico, watching Jason's face fall. "He's jealous. Though you'll see her at Olympus."

"That can be rectified." Will leaned towards Jason and puckered his lips. Jason quickly backed away, and Will was rewarded with a light slap from his boyfriend. "It was a joke – it was a joke!" he protested, rubbing his red right ear.

"Hmph." Nico folded his arms and turned away to look pointedly out of the minibus window. Will glared at Jason.

Jason grinned wickedly. "I knew I could get you two to stop being so lovey-dovey!"

In a flash, Nico was cuddled into Will's side.

Jason screwed up his face. "That's – that's –"

"That's what, Jason?" asked Will, laughing.

"So unfair!"

* * *

There aren't normally parking spaces in front of the Empire State Building. Particularly not for a couple of minibuses. But, as it turns out, if you're there for a meeting of the gods, there are.

As they all piled out onto the pavement, three figures ran up to them. Percy, Annabeth, and Piper.

Piper threw her arms around Jason. Will and Nico exchanged glances.

"How's school?" Will asked Annabeth, over the sound of the kissing couple.

"It's going really well!" she said. "And not a single monster."

"Yeah." Percy looked quite disappointed at that. "We keep out of trouble."

"Plenty of time for that a camp," said Nico.

Percy grinned. "I hope so!" He shrugged. "It keeps Mum happy. Which keeps me in blue food."

At long last, Jason came up for air, and was immediately tackled into a hug by Percy.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "So, how are things at the camp?"

"Oh, pretty quiet. We've got a new girl."

"Don't even mention her…" groaned Connor Stoll, exiting the other minibus. "The sooner she gets claimed, the better."

Nico gave a taunting smirk. "She might end up being a Hermes."

Connor paled. "Oh, gods, no!"

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "How can she be that bad?"

"She never stops asking questions!"

"I remember a kid like that," said Percy. "No good came of him."

Annabeth sighed. "Come on. Time for the family reunion."

* * *

"And aren't these two just adorable together?" cooed Aphrodite. In front of a number of the other gods and demigods. Some of whom he respected. Aunts! Or whatever relation she was to him.

In his mortification, Will wanted to sink into the ground. Nico actually did, only realising when his ankles had disappeared through the marble.

Amazingly, it was the arrival of Will's dad that made everything less embarrassing. They first noticed when the clouds around them started to evaporate. As more and more of New York became visible around them, they then heard the roar of an engine. Percy's head whipped round.

"Everybody down!" he cried; quite unnecessarily, for there were already nymphs, gods and heroes making undignified dives to the floor out of the way of the blazing red bullet which was hurtling towards them.

The car hit the pavement of Olympus and skidded, the brakes locking. The was a squeal of tyres as it executed a handbrake turn and came to a halt.

Apollo jumped lightly out of the car. "Hi, all! Am I late?" He looked around. "Where is everyone?"

One by one, divine and demi-divine heads popped up from behind fountains, shrubs and statues.

Artemis was the first to speak, walking calmly towards him. "No, brother, you are, in fact, early. The shortest day got a little shorter." She pulled the keys out of the ignition and dropped them into a pocket of her tunic.

Apollo's face fell. "You can't take that!" She ignored him and walked on by.

"This is why you should park in the garage. I made it especially for you," said Annabeth, shaking her head.

Biting his lip, the god shrugged. "So, what was everyone talking about without me? What's the hot gossip?"

Will felt himself blush, and noticed that, uncharacteristically, Nico was too. He saw Aphrodite start to grin.

"Are we having this meeting, or not?" asked Athena, sweeping up the steps behind them. "You don't want Zeus to push everything through while you're all out here chatting, do we?"

As ever, she was right. They trooped in after her.

The gods took their thrones. Even the minor ones had exquisite thrones, while the demigods had a section of comfortable looking chairs. No more were they to be wholly shut out of negotiations: the campers now had the authority represent the camp.

Not, Will thought, in a slightly sceptical moment, that the gods had made clear exactly how much their voices counted, but it was, he supposed, a start.

The demigods sat down, in no particular order, which let Will sit next to Nico. He saw Nico nod to his dad, saw Percy (keeping a careful distance from Annabeth) smile at a girl by the fireplace, and then noticed his own father giving him a thumbs-up. It made it all worthwhile, really.

Then the speeches started.

In all honesty, it was a pretty speedy session. There were really only so many ways that 'everything's kind-of OK' could be said. Chiron had made a few sharp remarks about the care that gods should show to their children, which had resulted in a few guilty-looking gods – Will was not surprised to note that his dad's was one of them – and approving nods from Nico, Percy, and (in a rare moment in which she and her daughter's boyfriend agreed) Athena. There had been a general resolution passed directing there to be more satyr patrols – a slightly stressed-looking Grove bit down hard on a tin can at that – and a renewal of the commitment to claim their children.

Then more boring stuff about how much gods could claim on expenses. Then Will noticed something

"Nico," whispered Will.

"Mmm?" murmured Nico, stifling a yawn.

"Is your dad wearing jazzy socks?"

Nico took a surreptitious look under the hem of Hades' robe. He smiled proudly, and leaned in to Will's ear. "I sent them to him for his birthday," he said under his breath. "Well, I mean, I just sent them. It's not like there were calendars then. I didn't think he'd actually put them _on_!"

He broke off as he saw his father looking over at them and frowning. Nico pointed subtly to his feet. Hades – and Will could hardly believe he was seeing this – smiled and stretched out his legs, making the patterns more noticeable.

Sometimes, the gods didn't seem very godlike at all.

* * *

"Nico?" Will frowned as he was led by the hand through the palace. The meeting wasn't quite over – it turned out that there were things that the gods wanted to discuss without their children present. Not even Percy. There was, much to the disappointment of many who'd been before, no party this year. So they were all trooping back to head to ground level. All of them, that is, except Will, who had been pulled off to one side by Nico as they'd left the throne room. "This isn't the way to the lift!"

"We're not going to the lift."

"What are going to do to get back to the minibus? Jump?"

"We're not going back to the minibus."

"Then where –"

Nico stepped into the shadow of a massive vase, covered all over with carvings of – well, other vases. It was a sort-of self-referencing vase. Meta. Even –

Will saw – even _felt_ – all the light being pushed out of his world. With a gasp he felt his feet fall through the solid ground, and then, equally surprising, slam back into it.

Blinking, he felt his vision return, though there was not, at first, much difference, as he found himself in a place very dimly lit.

Nico, so pale that he seemed to glow in the dark, as still holding his hand. His pale face twisted into an apologetic grimace. "Sorry, Will. But it's the only way to get here. Well, not technically, but it's the most sustainable."

"Go where?"

Nico bit his lip, suddenly shy. "Home, I guess. This is me, er, inviting you over for Christmas."

Will stared at Nico in confusion. Christmas? But surely they didn't celebrate – he hadn't got Nico anything –

Wait. That wasn't the most troubling thing about Nico's last words. _Home_? Here?

Will looked around. At the torches on the wall. At the black bedspread. At the skull embedded in the wall.

He'd been invited for Christmas in the Underworld.

Of all the boys to fall in love with…


	7. Sleeping Over in the Underworld

**Sleeping over in the Underworld**

**(Part I)**

* * *

Will couldn't help but stare at the skull on the wall. He stepped towards it with a wary curiosity.

"Is that – is that _real_?"

Nico nodded. "His name was Egbert. He was a monk in the tenth century."

"Why?"

"Well, if you were an ordinary person back then, I suppose it was a pretty god life. You got an education, food, lodging, all for the price of –"

"No, not why did he become a monk – why is it stuck into your bedroom wall?"

"Oh." Nico gave a sheepish look. "A sort-of … family joke."

Will raised his eyebrows, and took a little step away from Nico. "O-_kay_."

"What? You've never had a family in-joke?"

"Not one that involved a skull…"

Rolling his eyes, Nico took off his coat and hung it over the skull. "Happy now?"

Will folded his arms. "No."

"Tough. You can't really get out of here, anyway."

"Has your dad been advising you on how to conduct a relationship?"

Nico's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" He paused. "Oh." His voice dropped. "It is a _bit_ 'kidnappy', isn't it…"

"Just a bit, Death Boy." Will said, tweaking Nico's nose. "But at least you waited until, you know, after we were going out. At this rate, by, say, the year 4500, children of Hades will be able to conduct absolutely normal, non-abducting, relationships."

Nico tipped his head from side to side. Then he looked quite guilty. "If you don't want to stay –"

"No, no, Nico. It's fine." Will smiled. "Just, next time, warn me first, OK?"

"OK." Nico looked down at his feet. "So, shall I show you around?"

"Is your dad –?"

"He knows I'm here, and that I've brought you. But he and Persephone won't be back for a while yet." Nico looked thoughtful. "There's definitely something that they're not telling us. And Dad normally tells me about it if it's important."

"Then it can't be that important," reasoned Will.

"Or it's so important that this time he really can't let me know." Nico went out of the room, frowning. "Did they seem a bit distracted to you?"

"Who?" asked Will, eyeing the skeleton armed with a bayonet that stood outside Nico's door. Was it to keep people out, or _in_?

"The gods," said Nico, acknowledging the bow that the skeleton gave him. Will wondered, slightly enviously, if there was a place where Apollo's children got this kind of treatment. Was there a palace on Olympus? Maybe he and Nico could go there someday –

"Will?" Nico clicked his fingers to get his attention.

"What did you say?"

"I _said_ I thought they seemed to be skipping over things. Didn't you to expect there to be more resistance to the charge of negligence against them? They just rolled over on it."

"It was true," said Will.

"That doesn't usually stop them from opposing something if it's inconvenient for them." Nico narrowed his eyes. "It was almost like they wanted to placate us with something. So we'd leave happy – and without asking questions."

"If they did, it worked," said Will. Nico pushed open a large door, and Will gasped.

"This really is like Olympus, but like its photographic negative," breathed Will, gazing around the throne room. It was currently missing its thrones, which, presumably, were still up at Olympus.

"He's not quite so bitter about it these days," commented Nico, leading Will across the hall. More skeletons sprang to attention. "Not now that they let him up whenever he likes. He's thinking of setting up a little residence on Olympus. Annabeth left him some land in case he ever wanted to."

"A holiday home?"

"I guess so." Nico smiled as he reached a door. "This, though, is quite unique."

He opened it, revealing a vast library. At least, from the closest shelves Will assumed that it was a library. The parts not lit by the torches by the door are in total darkness. Obviously it had been decided that flaming torches were not a good idea to have dotted around all over the place. Will was sure, though, that he heard pages rippling around the room.

Will's eyes gleamed at the sight of it. "What is this place?" he said, his mouth hanging open.

"Book are not absolutely dead things," said Nico, wryly. "All books have copies which have been lost or destroyed. There's never been a perfect print-run in history. And they end up here. One for every book ever written."

"Cool," grinned Will. "How do you find a book in this place?"

"The same way you get food at camp. Just –"

He broke off, seeing that Will already had a book in his hand. "Think it?" asked Will.

"What have you got?"

Will showed it to him.

Nico squinted at it. "Kates? Who's that?"

"Keats." Will shook his head and opened the book to a random poem. "Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave / Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare; / Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss." He leaned forwards. "Well that's not true." He kissed him. "But, then again, you're not a figure on a vase."

Nico blushed, and then looked curiously at Will. "You're not dyslexic?"

Will shook his head. "Apollo's children generally aren't. Especially needing to look after medicines." He waved the book of poems. "It would make writing things like this needlessly hard, for a start!"

"Keats was a demigod, too?"

Will nodded. "Badly poisoned by a manticore in London. He went to Rome looking for the cure, but didn't make it."

"How do you know about all the gods and their children?" asked Nico.

Will shrugged. "I've been a regular camper for years. It's what we learn about, when there isn't a war on." He patted the book. "Can I keep this?"

Nico nodded. "Even if you lose it, it would end up here again."

The pair of them left the library, and wandered back towards Nico's room. Nico paused outside an ornate doorway. "We just need to nip in here."

"What's in there?" asked Will, impressed by the decoration.

Nico pulled open the door. "A store cupboard." He rummaged around. "Here," he said, handing Will a sleeping bag and some towels. Black, obviously. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Well, all my clothes are still in my cabin…" Will replied.

Nico looked embarrassed. "I totally forgot about that! OK, you go back to my room, and I'll be right back with that."

He vanished into the shadows, leaving Will to traipse along the corridor, sleeping bag and towels in hand, past the skeletons, and into Nico's room. Nico's coat had fallen down, exposing the skull.

Will sighed. He was just going to have to get used to that.

* * *

"OK," said Nico, poking his head around the door. "I met dad when I was coming back from collecting your stuff –" (He dumped a bag onto the floor) "and it's time for dinner! Come on!"

Will looked up from his book, but didn't move from the chair.

"Will?" said Nico, stepping into the room. "Are you OK?"

His teeth clenched, Will shook his head. "I'm not sure I'm that hungry…" he mumbled.

Nico went across to him. Will had turned quite pale. His eyes flicked up to Nico's.

"Are you ill?" asked Nico, putting his hand to Will's forehead. It was damp with sweat. "Because if you are, then I think that's your area."

"I'm not ill," said Will. "I'm just not hungry." His stomach rumbled.

Nico blinked, and his worried look softened into something closer to a smile. "You're _scared_."

"Well…" Will looked away. "Yes."

"Of what? Of my dad?"

"Yes! He's _Hades_. And your step-mother, by all accounts, is a bit odd."

"Oh, it'll be OK. She won't mind you. It's me she doesn't like. As for my dad, well, what's the worst that can happen?"

"I can't imagine. But I bet _he_ could!"

"You're worrying too much. I'll be with you. Besides, he's a god – if we was going to do you harm he'd have done it by now."

Will rolled his eyes. "Not very reassuring, Nico."

"It's the best I've got, Sunshine. Now, food." Nico held out his hand. Will took it, and got to his feet.

"Fine, but, if I get killed at this meal – I – I – I won't let you visit me in the Underworld."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "You try and stop me."

* * *

If you'd asked Will as a wide-eyed, naïve, ten-year-old whether, within five years, he'd be sitting at a table with Hades and eating a Chinese take-away, ten-year-old Will would have looked at you as if you were totally insane.

And yet, fiddling with chopsticks – they were really very white, and Will had no desire to probe into what they might have been made from – here he was. Didn't make it feel any less insane, though.

Nico was apologising nervously for the food. "… because if it had been anything made down here, you wouldn't have been able to eat it. And I've certainly not had anything like this in ages…" Nico kept chattering on, as if afraid that someone else might say something if he stopped. Will suspected that his earlier cheeriness had most been a sham.

"What do you think of the Underworld, Will?" said Hades, breaking over Nico, who stopped, and gulped

"Well, I've not really seen much outside the palace, sir," started Will (the 'sir' seemed to go down well), "but it seems – nice." He scrabbled around for compliments that were appropriate. "Well-ordered. Everything where it should be."

"And you have no desire to take anything, or anyone, out of that order?"

"Oh, no," said Will, shooting a querying look at Nico. "That would be wrong."

Hades nodded. "Excellent. I think we're going to get along very well indeed. Most demigods don't seem to get that it's not their place to interfere here."

"How – how silly of them!" said Will, desperately trying to stop his voice from cracking.

Persephone just smiled at them. That was, in its way, slightly more unnerving. She leaned forwards.

"So, how long have you two known each other?"


	8. Oversleeping in the Underworld

**Hi. More Nico and Will being sweet on each other... Reviews are always welcome.**

* * *

**Oversleeping in the Underworld**

* * *

"Will. _Will. _Wake up, Will!"

Will started awake, feeling himself roughly jolted. Rubbing his sleep-filled eyes, he turned around in his sleeping bag to see Nico perched above him on his bed, his foot swinging off the side of it.

"Wha'time is it?" he said, thickly. He yawned.

Nico glanced out of the window into the black and grey world beyond. "A very good question indeed!"

Will rolled onto his back with a sigh, and then winced. Lifting himself up on an elbow, he felt his shoulder with his free hand. He frowned at Nico. "Did you _kick_ me just then?"

Nico nodded. "Yeah. I considered waiting for you to wake up on your own, but I got fed up." He shrugged.

"Thanks…" muttered Will. He yawned again and slumped back down to the floor. His eyes started to close –

"Ow!" Will pressed a hand to his ribs and reluctantly sat up. "OK, OK, I'm awake!" He glared at Nico, whose expression didn't change. "I just –" (he yawned yet again) "– don't get why I'm so tired." He ran an eye over Nico. "And why you're so _chirpy_."

Nico smiled. "I don't think anyone's ever called me that before. But, I'll admit, it's weird for me seeing 'groggy Will', too." He looked out of the window again. "Well, I guess this is my native seat."

"You are to the manner born…" murmured Will. He shook himself, and pulled himself out of his sleeping bag. His pyjama trousers were too short for him, exposing his ankles. He circled his knees with his arms and rested his head against the side of Nico's bed. After a moment of two, Nico started to fiddle with his hair. Will didn't mind.

"So," said Will, "what are we going to do today?"

Nico shrugged. "Whatever you like. The Field of Punishment are always a laugh."

Will frowned up at him reprovingly.

"What!?" cried Nico. "They deserve it!"

Will just shook his head. Nico thought. "Is there anyone you want to visit?"

"Anyone dead, you mean?"

Nico nodded.

Will closed his eyes. "No. I don't. Not at the moment. I'd really prefer to remember them alive."

Nic oslipped off the bed to sit next to Will, and smiled sadly at him. "I thought you'd say that. But the offer's always open if you ever do want to."

"Thanks." Will opened his eyes again. They were very faintly bloodshot. "Uh, anything less ghoulish?"

"In the Underworld?" Nico sucked in his cheeks. "I'll have a think."

"My only other condition is that there are no more family conversations."

"About whether we'd –"

"Yep."

"Or –"

"U-huh."

"Or even –"

"Yeah." Will went pink. "That really happened, didn't it?

"With Dad there and everything." Nico buried his head in his hands. "What made her think that we had?"

"Flower goddesses have surprisingly … inventive minds."

"I didn't even know what half of those words _meant_." Nico blushed. "And I don't really want to look them up, either."

Will leaned sideways and rested his head on top of Nico's. He was aware of Nico being quite irritated at this, so he kept doing. "Yeah, but we should note that you get confused about what ATMs are."

"I know that one! There's a little guy who sits inside them and gives out the money."

Will sniggered.

Nico tipped his head back to glare at Will, but his hair got in the way. "Are you about to say that it's the perfect job for someone my height?"

"No, no."

"Or that I'd be, I don't know, _too_ short for it?"

"No, Nico – you really think that's how they work?"

"Yes. Wait – it isn't?"

"No. It's all by computer."

"What! Not something else." Nico threw his arms up. "Is everything in this century done by computer!"

"No need to get so irate, Nico Di –ark-ages."

"That was pretty awful, Will So-lame."

"And that was better!"

Nico's mouth twisted into a sheepish smile. "No…" He narrowed his arms. "Travis is in _so_ much trouble."

Will laughed. "Well, you think about that, and also about whether there's anything we can do down here that doesn't involve too many dead people. And/or monsters." He got up. His pyjama top was too short for him, too, Nico noticed. "In the meantime, I'm going to get dressed." He picked up some clothes and a towel. He stared at the various doors. Any one of them could be a portal to some hellish dimension. Could be. "Um. Which is the bathroom?"

* * *

"So you decided on fishing?"

"Yeah. That's fun, right?" Nico rolled his eyes. "_Normal_."

"In the River Styx?"

"Well, where else would you go? The Lethe? The Phlegethon? The Acheron." Nico shivered. "Cocytus." He shifted in the boat. "Trust me, this is the best river. At least if you fall in you become nigh-on invulnerable."

"Apart from the curse."

Nico tipped his head from side to side. "It didn't seem to affect Percy that badly. But, true, I'd advise against falling out."

"And this is what you consider 'normal', is it?"

"Yeah. You liked playing with Cerberus, right?"

"Well, it made me realise why some of the souls down here have been squashed flat."

Nico shrugged. "It doesn't actually matter to them. They don't _know_ that they're flat."

"I notice that I'm doing all the rowing," said Will.

Nico raised an eyebrow at Will, who was (slightly ineptly) pulling on the oars. "I offered to get one of my – people to do it."

"By that hesitant 'people', you mean one of the legion members of the dead, that serve you as their master don't you?"

"Um. Yeah."

Will sighed. "I don't have 'people'."

Nico patted him on the knee. "It's OK. You can borrow some of mine, if you like."

Will pulled a face. "I'm fine without, actually."

Nico laughed. "OK. Hold up here."

Will let go of the oars and let the boat drift. He peered over the side. Once it might have been clear (if black), but now it looked thick and oily. He suddenly wondered what kind of fish lived in this river. Probably not trout…

He wrinkled his nose. "It's a bit – mucky. As bad as Percy always said it was."

Nico nodded. "Yes. Try not to hook out some of its sewage. Here." He handed Will a fishing rod, and they set up. "Now we wait."

"There are things in here, right?" said Will, after a while.

"Oh, yes. People having been claiming that their fish are bigger than they really were since the beginning of time. Those made-up fish end up here. Which is quite good for fishing here. They really are –" Nico spread his arms out "– _this_ big."

Will gulped.

Nico rummaged in his bag. "I brought a picnic, too. Real food." He brought out some plastic boxes with sandwiches in. "One ham and cheese, one tuna. Take your pick."

Selecting a tuna sandwich, Will frowned at Nico. "When did you have the time to do this?"

Nico smirked. "You spend _so_ long in the shower. I left a note to tell you where I was going, but by the time a came back you were _still_ in the bathroom, so I put it away. What do you do in there?"

"Well," started Will, "I had to wash my hair, and then there's moisturising, and then –"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Enough. I don't want the whole routine. I'm just glad that I don't share a cabin with you."

"Why do you think I get up so early?" Will winked. "To coin a phrase: it takes effort to look this good."

"And yet, after all that time…" Nico let the sentence trail off into the air, leaving the insult hanging unsaid.

Will pouted, and then jumped as his line twitched. "I've got something," he breathed. Gently, he wound the line in. He felt the fish pull against him, trying to swim down and away. Will tugged harder. Nico watched, amused, as his boyfriend went puce with the effort.

He was even more so when Will at last managed to get his catch onto the boat. It was tiny; not even five inches long. But Will was beaming with pride.

"I caught something! I've never done that before!"

Nico tried to hide his laughter as he patted Will on the back. "Well done, Sunshine. Dinner all round, tonight."

Will smiled wider. "What do we do now?"

"Put it back," said Nico, scooping it into his hands. "It's not like we can eat it, is it?"

Will shook his head, a little relieved. "Good. Let it go back into the water. Oh – hang on!" He touched the fish, and its mouth healed. Nico dropped it back into the water.

Will didn't stop grinning for some time, and Nico really couldn't help himself from sharing in his excitement.

Over the next couple of hours, the two of them didn't catch very much of anything, There were a few more tiddlers, and, once, there was an impressive-looking fin breaking the water, but nothing special. Charon passed from time to time, always giving them a friendly wave. The looks they got from the ferried dead were priceless.

Eventually, they gave up fishing, and just lay next to each other against the bow of the little boat, content to be rocked in the water. Staring up into the darkness, and trying to see if there was a roof somewhere, Will wondered if the Underworld could ever be romantic. As if reading his mind, Nico kissed him, and confirmed that yes, it could be.

A thought crossed Will's mind. "How does it work?"

Nico turned his head. "How does what work?"

Will swept his arm across their up-facing vision. "This. Everything." It had been quite a big thought.

"What do you mean?" asked Nico, sitting up. The boat bounced a little.

"Well, those fish –well, really, all the promises – how do they get here? What are the people on the boat really seeing? Why is the Underworld real, and not anything else?"

Nico frowned. "I – I suppose – well, I think – uh. I don't know." He looked at Will. Hey locked eyes for what seemed like a very long time. Then, inside Nico's dark eyes, something flickered, and then seemed to shine. Grinning, he sat bolt upright. "Is – is this the only one? Are _all_ promises here, or just those on the Styx? And if so, how does that happen? How does it know that you've made a promise in it? Are the Fates everywhere at once, just there in potential, not reality?" He paused in his string of questions. "If we're underground, where's the light coming from?" He beamed at Will, and kissed him. "Why did I stop asking questions?"

Will smiled, uncertain. "I wasn't being serious –"

"But, Will," said Nico, becoming more excited, "there's so much that we don't know. How do the virgin goddesses have those 'brain children'? How does a demi-god inherit their parent's powers – and why is it not consistent? What's our – what's it called –genetic make-up? Come to think of it, what's the biological nature of a god? They must have one, surely – or we wouldn't exist!" Nico kissed Will again. "Oh, it's been so long since I've had so many questions! And you know what I'm going to do now?"

"What?" Will was slightly taken aback by Nico's sudden enthusiasm.

"I'm going to find out the answers. To everything!"

Will opened his mouth to tell him that they didn't need to know, that they couldn't know, that Nico was being overambitious. That he wouldn't have the time. But then he realised – this was it! This was Nico's project – to understand the gods.

Nico, Will thought, smiling, had never been one for low ambitions.


	9. Holding a Torch for Someone

**Nothing very substantial below. But a change of scenery!**

* * *

**Holding a Torch for Someone**

* * *

The pair of them dropped out of the shadows. Will looked around him at the monumental buildings which provided the shade in the setting sun.

"Er, where are we? This isn't camp."

Nico put his hand to his mouth. "Oh! You've not been here before – this is New Rome."

Will gaped. "They really went for it, didn't they?"

"Just a bit. Come on." Nico offered Will his arm.

Looping his own into it, Will allowed himself to be led away. "Why did you bring me here –?"

As they turned the corner, they were presented with a blaze of light. The whole street was lined with torches, while people in brilliant white togas held yet more lights.

Nico grinned at Will's stunned expression. "This is the festival of the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun."

Will blinked. "Oh."

"Hey!"

They both turned in surprise as one of the toga-clad figures elbowed their way towards them. At first, they were confused, but then Nico spotted the blonde hair and the light reflecting off a pair of glasses.

"Jason!" He waved.

Jason reached them and grinned. He threw his arms around them. Will felt Nico squirm. "I hoped you two would show up. Having a nice holiday?"

He let them go, took a step back and peered at Will. He put on a serious face. "You look terrible, Will. Four days in the Underworld, and you're almost as pale as Nico!"

Will raised an eyebrow, worried. "Really?" He shot a glance at Nico.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Jason is exaggerating. You _are_ a bit paler, but not by that much…"

"Good…" Will glared at Jason, who just shrugged and laughed.

"You two need to toga up," said Jason.

"Uh, I don't have a toga," said Will.

"Luckily, we have quite a few. This way."

Nico unlooped his arm from Will's. "I'll be back in a minute, OK?" He vanished into the shadows.

Will turned back to Jason. "All right."

* * *

This was silly. It was like wearing a bedsheet. Only much, much heavier. Dead-eyed, Will gazed at a grinning Jason. "You're just trying to make me look stupid, aren't you?"

"It's the same as what I'm wearing. Now, take this, and go out into the procession."

Will took the torch. It was heavier than he had anticipated. The flame also flickered rather too close to his face for comfort. Holding it a little out from his body, he started towards the steps down from the temple. Then he stopped suddenly.

"The Unconquered Sun? Sol Invictus?"

"Uh-huh."

"Isn't that a bit blasphemous towards my dad? I mean, _he's_ the god of the sun."

"And it's _him_ we're celebrating. It's all been rolled into the one god now, you know that. So you'll be praising him tonight. He'll like that."

"Don't they all…" grumbled Will.

"Hey, if we try really hard, he might even turn up!"

Will groaned. "I can imagine…"

Jason led the way out and down the steps, and they joined on to the mass of people, adding their gleaming faces to the reddened ones already there. The march was slow, and there was some cheerful chanting. Will didn't know what the words were, but the tune was kind-of catchy. He hummed along. Somewhere, there were drums.

He felt a hand slip into his. He looked to his side. Nico grinned up at him, starkly different to the rest in his black toga.

"You don't have a torch," said Will. He held out his own. "Want to share?"

With his free hand, Nico took hold of it with him. Jason looked at the two of them and shook his head. No-one else seemed to have even noticed.

The procession wound through the city before, at last, halting before the temple of Apollo. The chanting grew louder, and all along the street people started to lift their torches. Will and Nico copied them.

As the shouting reached a climax, all the torches suddenly blazed blindingly brightly, and then were snuffed out. This coincided with the moment that the sun set, leaving everything in total darkness.

Will shivered slightly. Nico's fingers tightened reassuringly around his.

There was complete silence.

Then the temple flared with light, sending the shadows recoiling across the city. Will heard Nico gasp. When he looked at Nico, he caught sight of himself, and realised why. He was glowing with a uniform golden light. Even Jason was impressed. Will looked around. Here and there, there were people glowing, just like him. They must have been relatives of Apollo. He looked back towards the temple. At the top of the stairs, there was a burning figure.

"Hi, all!" called out his dad.

Will wondered if it was best to just assume that Apollo was going to do something embarrassing.

"It's really mega that you've turned out to do this. So, to thank you, I'll give you a poem."

Will put his head in his hands. He wasn't the only one.

"_People of New Rome,_

_Your praises are like flowers._

_We all know I'm awesome._

Oh. Hang on. That last line doesn't work. Er, how about: _We all know I'm great_?"

Jason stifled a laugh. So did Nico. Everyone cheered anyway. Apollo vanished, but the light remained. The torches all relit, and people hung them on the sides of the street.

"Now comes the fun part – or, rather party!" grinned Jason, dragging the two of them away.

* * *

The Romans knew how to throw good parties. It must be the result of being so straight-laced the whole time, Will thought. When they relaxed, they really went for it.

He and Nico wandered aimlessly amongst the crowds. Nico was eating some candyfloss. And was getting it everywhere.

"How's the toffee apple?" asked Nico.

"Mmm." Will tried to open his mouth. "Nngg."

Nico laughed, and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "Then I'll have to do the kissing, then." He kissed Will. The stopped walking, and closed their eyes.

"Hi."

The pair of them sprang apart.

"Dad!" spluttered Will, brick red, managing to wrench his teeth apart. Despite his mortification, his tongue probed his mouth for any damage.

"I just thought I'd check up on number-one son. Good to see you enjoying yourself, Will." Apollo put a hand on Will's shoulder and grinned. He winked at Nico, who was also very red. "Are you going to introduce us?" he asked Will.

Will frowned. "But you know Nico."

"I was under the impression that this was how things go."

Will threw up his hands. "Fine. Dad, Nico. Nico, Dad. Happy now?"

"Very." Apollo flashed them both a dazzling smile ad ruffled Will's hair. "Keep up the good work."

He went to walk off, but paused. "Will – are you OK? You look a little pasty."

"I'm fine!" said Will. "Really!" But his dad was already gone.

Nico scowled. "Well, that was a bit embarrassing."

"You're the one that's always kissing me!"

"You love it." Nico smiled happily. "And so do I. Chestnut?"

* * *

"Well," said Will, resting his head on Nico's shoulder, "that was quite a party."

Nico sipped at a lemonade and nodded, trying to keep his eyes open. Many of the older (and not a few of the younger) Romans were shuffling off the streets, not quite in straight lines. "Definitely one to keep in the diary for next year."

"'Course." Will nuzzled into Nico's neck. "You have some good ideas sometimes. Though I'm still not convinced by the togas."

"Neither am I, if I'm honest. I have to say, I'm a Greek at heart. Which, as an Italian, feels weird."

"The black suits you, you know."

"I always wear black. And black suits everyone."

"True. Maybe you should stop."

Nico turned his head to regard Will coolly. "I hope that's a joke, Sunshine."

"What if I were to ask nicely?"

"Then –" Nico scowled, and stifled a yawn. "I might be forced to consider it. But don't push it."

"You know your big list of questions?"

"Yep?"

"Can you add 'How does 'downsizing' work' to it?"

Nico's mouth twitched. "It's already on there. I mean, we know why – lack of belief – but we don't know exactly how the powers themselves are transferred. And that raises more interesting questions – if gods aren't fixed in their powers, what changes to give them new ones?"

"Have you thought of any answers for any of them yet?"

Nico shook his head slowly. "No. _Someone_ keeps distracting me."

"Doing what?"

"Being nearby."

Will snorted. "You're much weaker than people think, Death Boy, aren't you? No self-control whatsoever."

He got no reply. "Nico?"

But Nico was asleep.


	10. What You Will

**What You Will**

**(Or, Twelfth Night)**

* * *

Will bobbed his foot in time to the music, lying back in bed with one leg crossed over the other. All around him were pinned dozens of cards.

There was a knock at the door. Putting his book down, and pausing the music, Will got up from his bunk, and went over to open it.

After that, he just couldn't stop laughing.

* * *

"Hey." Nico waved at Annabeth through the Iris message. "I've got a question for you."

Annabeth tried not to let her smile slip. "Another?"

Nico looked down and smiled embarrassedly. "So…" He hesitated, and then the next words came out in a rush: "It's Will's birthday, and I was wondering, since you've been here the longest, if you knew what to get him. Um."

Annabeth laughed. "_That's_ what you want to know. Well –" She stopped, frowning. "Oh. I – I've got no idea."

Nico's face fell. "Really? Nothing?"

"I'm afraid I never really knew him that well," she said. "He was always around at camp, but…" She shrugged. "I know he likes books?"

Nico tipped his head from side to side. "He's got just about all he could want of those now."

Annabeth frowned. "I don't know what else to suggest. I'm sorry, Nico. You're going to have to ask someone who know him better than I do."

With a resigned, apologetic smile, Nico nodded, and broke the connection.

Who now?

* * *

"OK," said Travis sitting down next to his brother, "that girl –" (He nodded towards the Tyche table) "– was bad enough, but now Nico's at it with the questions."

"And his are really quite tricky," agreed his brother.

"What are you two planning?"

The brothers turned. "Pollux!" They smiled innocently. "Us? Planning?"

Pollux shook his head. "You know that look only makes you seem more suspicious."

Connor turned back round, "How did you know?"

"You had a – conspiratorial air." Pollux sat down opposite them. "Plus," he said, in an off-hand way, " you're _always_ planning something."

"Maybe…" Travis grinned.

"Well, I've got a little proposition for you."

"Oh, yes?" said Connor. He glanced at Travis. "We don't normally work for order."

"It depends who. Or what," said Travis.

"Nico," said Pollux.

The Stoll brother exchanged glances. "Funny you should say that."

Connor leaned forwards curiously. "But what has the poor little kid done to you?"

Pollux flushed. "He – he set me up on a date with a dryad."

"Ooh. Nasty. Anything else he's done to you? Baked you a cake? Cleaned your shoes? Because all those deserve revenge."

Pollux rolled his eyes. "It's worse than that. He told me that she'd only come out of her tree form once she'd got used to me. So I waited. And waited. And waited. For hours, I sat there."

"Then what happened?" asked Travis.

"It was just a tree," said Pollux, sullenly.

The brothers snorted with laughter. "That," said Connor, "is quite a good one!"

"Why haven't we thought of that?" said Travis. "That Nico is _devious_."

"_Any_way," said Pollux, through gritted teeth, "I wondered if you could help me get my own back."

"Hmm. It's probably Nico's turn for something. And he has been going around with those non-stop questions – not to mention that he's only encouraging Andy, and she was bad enough to start with!"

"What do you think we should do?"

The brothers thought. Then Connor grinned slyly. "You know how it's Will's birthday in a couple of days?"

"Yeah," said Travis and Pollux.

"And you know how Nico would do practically anything Will wanted."

"Mmm," said Pollux, thoughtfully. "Though the sweet thing about Will is that he never wants anything."

"Hence why Nico has been at a bit of a loss these last couple of days," filled in Travis.

"Well," said Connor, spreading his fingers, "what is we were to suggest something to him?"

"Like what?" asked Pollux.

Travis smirked. "Something totally embarrassing for Nico. Something he'd never do unless he thought it was for Will."

"Any ideas?"

Connor looked across the tables at where the two boys were sitting: one quite tall, blonde, and in a many colours as you could count; the other small, and a vision in black. His gaze shifted back to his brother and Pollux. "One or two."

* * *

"Are you _sure_ that there's nothing you'd particularly like?" wheedled Nico.

"Absolutely," laughed Will. "If you have to get my anything, then make it a surprise." He kissed Nico on the forehead. "But, really, as long as you're around, there's nothing else I need." Without waiting for Nico to groan at the sickly sweet turn of phrase, or press him any further for a present suggestion, Will turned and walked into the Big House. Travis had injured himself falling over – or was it off? (Will didn't really want to know why) – something. Whatever it was, it left a pretty nasty sprain.

Nico kicked at a stone as he walked back towards his cabin. This was not very helpful. Everybody he talked to knew, and liked, Will. But nobody seemed to know very much _about_ him. He was a kind-of vacuum of pleasantness. Affable, but mysterious. But you didn't notice the mysterious bit. Maybe –

Maybe he was overthinking this. Overthinking Will. Just overthinking in general.

"Hey, Nico."

Nico turned, surprised. "Oh, hi Connor. Here to see Travis? Will's in with him now."

Connor made a dismissive gesture. "No, he gets himself into scrapes all the time. For things that I can tell you that I know nothing at all about." He gave Nico a serious glance. "Especially if Chiron is asking."

Nico's brow furrowed. "Yeah. Whatever. Was there something? I'm a bit busy."

"Looking for a birthday present?" fished Connor.

Nico nodded, distracted. "I just don't know."

"Can I help?"

Nico's harassed expression immediately softened. "You can?"

"'Course. Travis and I have been here as long as Will, and, well, the number of times we've been in the Infirmary – we know each other pretty well."

"So, um, can you give me any ideas about what he might like?"

"He likes films." Here, Connor wasn't actually lying. He _did_ know Will quite well. And he like him, too. Everybody did. So he wanted him to get a proper birthday present from Nico, too. Though he was sure that Nico knew that Will like films.

Nico nodded and slapped a hand to his forehead. "Of course!" He bit his lip. "But which one…?" He looked hopefully at Connor, who shrugged.

"I don't know all the ones he's seen. But you've been working through his collection, haven't you?"

Nico looked thoughtful. "I know where it is, too."

"As a general rule, I think, it's either classics, or the campier the better."

Nico couldn't suppress a smile. "That's about right. Thanks, Connor!" He went to walk away.

"Oh! – and, Nico, he'll never say this to you, but – dress more cheerfully, will you?"

Nico looked back at Connor in surprise, and then down at his black hoodie. Over a black top. Above black jeans, black socks, and black trainers. He was even wearing –

No need to go that far…

"Mmm…?" he said, uncertain. "Like what?"

Connor ran his eye over Nico. "How about a nice pair of yellow socks? He likes yellow. You'd suit it, too. And then a red shirt. And there's a pair of pink trousers you could borrow, in the Hermes Cabin. And a hat. You definitely need a hat."

Nico went pale. Connor hadn't thought it possible for Nico to get much paler, but there he was. Paper-like. "R-really?" He spluttered. "Is all that necessary?"

Connor shook his head. "No. But I think he'd appreciate it if you made the effort."

Nico eyed him dubiously. This seemed so like a practical joke. But it was so _obvious_, if it was. The Stoll twins were usually much subtler than this. So that meant –

Was he overthinking again?

"Nico?" asked Connor. "You've gone all silent…"

"I'll – I'll think about it," said Nico.

"Do that." Connor patted Nico on the shoulder. "Come and see us if you decide to." He walked away, and then glanced back at the Big House. "You know he would, if it was for you."

* * *

Nico tapped on the golden door, his present under his arm.

He felt like a complete prat. Did Will really want to see him dressed like _this_?

The trousers were too short (even on him!), meaning that he'd had to pull the socks far up his legs. The shirt clashed violently with his jumper – and the hat!

It had _flowers_ on! Multi-coloured ones.

Nico did not feel particularly awe-inspiring. And he liked feeling awe-inspiring. He could raise the dead! Travel faster than light! Split the earth in two!

Hmph.

The door opened. Will looked out, his eyes widening in shock. Nico saw the momentary struggle as Will tried to keep a straight face – and then failed.

Nico pushed his way into the cabin, past a laughing Will, his face crimson. As he slammed the door, he missed the clicking of a camera. Little did he know that they would be all over camp the next day.

He stood in the middle of the room, his arms crossed, and waited for Will to recompose himself.

"Well!" said Will, wiping his eyes, "I did –" (He snorted with laughter again as he noticed Nico's butterfly-themed bow tie.) "– ask you to surprise me!"


	11. Interviews with Demigods - I

**This won't be updated quite so frequently from now on, but I will keep at it. Thanks again for the reviews.**

* * *

**Interviews with Demigods - I**

* * *

"Right, enough faffing around – let's make a start on this thing."

Will almost jumped out of his skin as Nico appeared, from nowhere, suddenly at his elbow, and apparently in the middle of a conversation. He decided to ignore him for a moment or so, and focus instead on the son of Ares with a broken arm. Said boy was unconscious – not from the blood but from being unused to people popping out of the shadows.

Nico tapped his foot impatiently as Will set the arm. To Nico, it seemed as if Will was doing this particularly slowly. Eventually, Will finished. The boy still hadn't come round.

Will shot Nico an angry look. "See what you did!"

Nico looked unabashed. "I made it easier for you." He stuck his tongue out at Will.

Quick as anything, Will grabbed hold of it.

"Uugh! _Uugh!_" protested Nico, his eyes watering, and his fist batting against Will's arm. Will pulled Nico gently towards him –

"What are you doing?" broke in the Ares boy.

Will blushed and let go. "Nothing…" he said, wiping his fingers on Nico's top. He turned to the boy. "Now, you should heal up pretty fast, but come and see me if there's a problem. Now, you can go – but need I say not to do it again?"

They boy was already half-way to the door. He turned back and grinned. He would do it again. Will knew that for a fact.

"Here, are you two –?"

Nico rolled his eyes, and pushed the boy out of the room. "None of your business." He closed the door.

Will raised an eyebrow. "There was no need to close us in here. People will talk."

"Yes. Us. Alone. Without other people butting in."

"That's not what I mean."

Nico smirked. "It's hardly a secret, is it?"

"Don't mean _that_, either."

"Don't tarnish that halo of yours, Sunshine." Nico's face snapped back into serious. "Anyway – back to me."

Will's mouth twitched upwards. "Of course. Why do we ever leave that topic?"

"No idea. So, we need to get on with this investigation."

"_We_?"

Nico gave Will a blank look. "Uh-huh…?"

Will sighed. "Fine. But I'm not just writing down notes for you."

"Of course not," said Nico, brightly. "There'll be filing to do, too!" He jumped back as Will swung a stethoscope at him. "Hey!"

"Out!" growled Will, trying not to laugh at Nico's attempts to defend himself.

With a gesture of surrender, Nico opened the door and walked out. And into the Ares boy. Will walked into the back of Nico.

"Are you two really –?" started the boy again.

Nico looked at him, deadpan. "Yes. Frequently." He walked off, and out onto the porch.

Will, pulling his coat on, followed. "Don't scratch your arm!" he called back.

* * *

"So this is the grand plan? We stare at a blank piece of paper?"

Nico rolled his eyes and stretched out on Will's bed. "We write things _on_ the paper." He looked away. "Just as soon as I think of any…"

"What are we trying to do here?"

"A proper, rigorous, theology of the gods."

"Oh." Will sucked on the end of the biro. He'd been relegated to the desk. As scribe. "Don't we know that already? You know, the accounts in Ovid, and Homer, and –"

"No, no. That's _mythology_. Well," Nico corrected himself, "strictly, that's history. There's loads of that, and we _do_ already know it. Or could ask Chiron."

"Or one of the gods," pointed out Will.

"True. Though I'm not sure you'll get an unbiased rendering from one of them. But, what I want to do, is work out how it all operates. Why do we have our powers? How do our powers work? Why are gods gods?"

Will's head shot up. He cocked an ear. "Did you hear that?"

Nico looked at him. "What?"

Will shrugged. "Thunder. Must have imagined it, then." He drummed his fingers on the desk. "So. Let's start with what we know."

"Right. Gods are the children of the Titans, who are in the generation after the Primordials, all of whom sprang from Chaos. Sort-of."

"Yeah. Well, that was easy." Will put down the pen.

"Mmm. Where did Chaos come from?"

"Does it have to come from anywhere?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Nico leaned forwards on the bed. "Because, once Percy told me that he asked Chiron about God, and Chiron brushed him off. Telling him not to get metaphysical. Well, let's get a metaphysical!"

They both twisted round to look out of the window.

"OK…" said Will. "That was _definitely_ thunder." His eyes slid back to Nico – who was grinning.

"Then we're _definitely_ going to keep at this, if it upsets them that much!"

* * *

"So, Jason, what can you do?" asked Nico. Will stood next to him, holding a clipboard.

Jason eyed them warily. They'd both just appeared out of the shadows of the practice field, and Nico was staring at him very intensely.

"Um… Impressions?" suggested Jason. He cleared his throat –

"No!" said Nico, hurriedly. He'd been subject to them before. "I mean powers-wise."

"Oh. Er. I can fly, and summon thunder, and control the weather." He looked confused. "You know this, though, right?"

"Show me."

Jason exchanged a glance with Will, who just shrugged. Jason leapt into the air, buoyed up by the currents –

"No!"

Startled, Jason lost concentration and crashed back to the ground. "What?"

"More slowly. None of that showing-off. Just – just – can you go into the air without a run up?" Nico tipped his head quizzically to one side.

Jason concentrated, and, without making any movement, floated into the air. Nico stepped closer to him, and, putting his hand out, felt the air moving around Jason's body.

"Interesting…" he murmured. "Will – it's definitely physical. It requires effort to do it."

Will made a note on his clipboard.

Nico stepped back. "Now: thunderbolt. Go!"

Obedient, Jason gestured with his right hand. There was a streak of light, and a small bush exploded.

"Hmm." Nico raised an eyebrow. "Can you do that without pointing at what you want to blow up?"

A bolt struck the ground a couple of inches from Nico's left foot. "Yes," said Jason. Will had gone very pale; Nico seemed unconcerned.

"And they just appear out of the air, do they? _Against_ how lightning usually forms? Interesting." He nodded to Will, who made another note. "Now –"

Nico shook his hair dry from the sudden cloudburst. "Thanks," he said, curt. "So, what do you have to do in order to do that?"

Jason shrugged. "I just have to want it, I guess."

"No prayers? No intervention from your father?" pressed Nico.

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Double hmm." Nico took a few paces around Jason. "It just – happens?" He stood very still, and frowned at a clump of grass.

Nothing happened to it.

"Are you OK, Nico?" asked Jason, stepping towards him.

Nico's expression relaxed. "But _I_ can't do it."

Jason looked at him, nonplussed. "Of course not… You're the son of Hades, not Zeus."

"Why does that matter?"

"Because Hades doesn't have that power?"

"Why?"

"Because he's in charge of the Underworld, and Zeus is in charge of the Sky!" Jason bit his lip. Was Nico being deliberately dense? Why was Will playing along with this? Was it all some elaborate prank?

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Jason rolled his eyes, and spoke very slowly, as if to a child. "OK. There was a war between the Titans and –"

"Yes. I know. Skip to the end: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades draw lots for the Sky, the Sea, and the Underworld, respectively."

"And?" asked Jason.

"Why did that give them particular powers?"

Jason shrugged. "It just did."

"And, more importantly, what were they before?" pointed out Will. Nico blinked. He'd not thought of that.

"What do you mean _before_?" asked Jason.

"Before Zeus got the Sky, which happened _after _the Titanomachy – the first one, I mean – what powers did he have?" asked Will.

"Well, the Cyclopses made him his master bolt," said Jason.

"But," said Nico, grasping Will's idea, "aside from it being incredibly convenient that, having gained a storm power, he got the Sky, isn't that an external weapon? Anyone could have used it – maybe even Percy when he had it."

Jason frowned. "I don't know what you mean."

"The powers of the gods aren't necessarily natural to them, but derive from their roles. Maybe, if, say, you swapped Zeus and Poseidon, each would take on the powers associated with the other. And so might their children." Nico grinned. "I wonder how you could test that!"

There was a long rumble of thunder.

Jason looked up nervously. "Do you really want to?"

Nico, though, was already thinking about something else. "What is it about your descent from Zeus that you have special powers? This is the thing I don't get. Why can you control the weather, just because your dad, for whatever reason, does? The same with me and shadow-travelling, and Will and healing. It just doesn't make sense."

Another rumble. Nico glared at the sky. "You can do that all you want; I'm not giving up on this."

"Um." Will blushed. "That was me. It's nearly time for dinner."

Nico laughed, and turned round to face him. "That's something else I want to try."

"Dinner?" asked Jason.

"Sacrificing burnt offerings. What happens if we don't do it?"

"The gods feel insulted?" suggested Will. "Then they get angry, and we get –" (He gulped.) "– inconvenienced."

"Yeah, but, really, what are they going to do? Incinerate their own children?"

"I wouldn't put it past them…" said Jason.

Nico shook his head. "They're not _that_ crazy."

"Maybe they'd block out powers," suggested Will. "Like, a kind of grounding."

Nico looked thoughtful. "Maybe. How, though? I mean, we just said that the origins of their and our powers are obscure."

"Hmm," said Jason. He blinked. "You are_ not_ dragging me into speculating about this. It's pointless. We know that the gods exist, and that they have powers, and so do we, by heredity, or something. Just accept it!" With that, he turned and walked off towards the cabins.

"I'm going to try it," said Nico. "Not offering. I'll see what happens. At the very least, it'll prove whether or not they care, and, if the punishment is the suspension of out powers, then we'll see if our powers come from them, or not." He smiled brightly. "You with me?"

Will shifted uneasily. "I'd like to, Nico, but I don't think I can risk having my powers blocked."

"If they can do that." Nico nodded. "I understand." He looked at Will's clipboard. He raised an eyebrow. "Why have you drawn a heart around my name?"

Will blushed. "I didn't mean to show you…"

Nico snorted, and walked off, leading his boyfriend by the hand. "Not a good reason, Sunshine."


	12. Interviews with Demigods - II

**Interviews with Demigods – II**

* * *

The piece of paper wasn't blank any more. In fact, there were quite a few now, piled up on one side of the desk, each covered in a mixture of Will's neat hand, and Nico's decidedly spikier one. Nico had made the comment that doctors were supposed to have bad handwriting. Will had explained that that was stereotyping, and, besides, he wasn't really a doctor, as he essentially healed people by magic. And singing. Jason had said that Will had tidy handwriting because he was gay, and that they were neat like that. While he was fixing Jason's broken nose and assuring him that the black eye would go down on its own, Will explained, as Nico wiped the blood off his hand, that that was stereotyping too.

The papers were held in place by one of Will's paperweights. It was a skull – a present from Nico's dad. Will hadn't asked if it was real, and, for Will was pretty sure he'd know if it was real if he checked himself, he'd deliberately not examined it too closely. It was quite a good paperweight, though. It was particularly good at discouraging people from moving it. The eye sockets seemed to follow you around the room. It had been accompanied by a note which had simply read: 'Sorry for the ants.'

He'd always suspected that it hadn't been a coincidence. Will had no intention of letting Nico see it. No need to send him off on an angry jaunt to the Underworld.

They had now interviewed all the year-round campers, performing the same tests that they had with Jason. The most interesting ones were those from the same cabin but with varying powers. Of those, though, the even more intriguing were those who shared both parents. Currently, of the year-rounders, that was just the Stoll brothers, though Thalia was someone they wanted to talk to.

Results, though, were unsatisfactory. There seemed no logic to any of it. Why one daughter of Athena (of the same age) was cleverer than another. Why Connor was a better thief than Travis. Why Clarisse was more aggressive than anyone in the entire world.

With every frustration, though, Nico seemed to get happier and happier. He'd spend hours trying to piece things together, or coming up with new questions. Occasionally, he actually came up with some answers.

They now knew, for instance, that demigods did have the normal number of genes, and that these could, fairly consistently, be identified for both parents. Will kept all the swabs carefully labelled in a box in the Infirmary, and had run a comparative chart on his computer. Gods, it seemed, had DNA too – and this was even passed down to the 'mind-children'. Will, though, had nowhere near enough technology to determine if it was human DNA or something that was just compatible with it; he could only identify similar chemical traces between siblings. Nor could he separate out each gene. That required proper science.

They also knew that the gods were getting more and more suspicious. Chiron kept organising 'activities' for them that kept them apart all day. It was becoming harder and harder to interview people and test their new theories out. Some of the old ones were bearing a little fruit, though. Nico's experiment of withholding burnt offerings had not resulted in the loss of his powers (as the range of startled people around Will knew – Will was well used to Nico's appearances by now). Nico had received a stern note from his father, though, and he hadn't been able to bring Will a new book in ages. But maybe the revocation of powers was just a step up from that, and Nico's dad was just lenient – with Nico alone, of course. They wouldn't know until they tried it out with other gods, and, so far, no-one else was willing to join Nico.

Will squeezed Nico a little tighter. He felt a bit disloyal for not joining him, but he was worried about what the loss of his powers might do, if it turned out to be true. Concern had to trump curiosity. Nico kissed him on the jaw, and then buried his head in the hollow of Will's neck. His ever-longer hair massed up over Will's mouth and tickled his nose.

It was in this comfortable, though rather intimate, position that the Iris message arrived.

His eyes widening as Percy's face appeared out of the air, Will took a sharp breath in – along with a fair chunk of Nico's hair. Spluttering, Will squinted up at Percy. Detaching himself a little from Will's side, Nico rolled his head onto the pillow and likewise looked at Percy.

"Hi," all three chorused. All three were quite pink with embarrassment. None of them quite knew how to start.

Nico eventually spoke. "What do you want?" he said, sourly. He looked at his watch. "It's, like, 11:30."

"This is New York!" grinned Percy. "The city –"

Will tried to punch the Iris message. He only succeeded in making Percy laugh, but at least it distracted him. "I second Nico's grumpy question: what do you want?"

"Firstly," smirked Percy, "to know why Nico is still in your cabin this late. It's after curfew." He grinned. "I'll tell Chiron…"

Nico snapped his fingers. A skeletal hand appeared on Percy's shoulder, and he jumped, shrieking, out of view. He snapped his fingers again. Percy, red-faced and dishevelled, returned to the image. Will smothered a laugh.

"You were going to do what?" asked Nico, coolly studying his fingernails.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Good. Now, again, why in the gods' names are you here?" said Nico.

"You asked me to be!" protested Percy. "I was at school, so Iris left a message here –"

"She does that?" muttered Will, surprised.

"Oh, yeah, you weren't there…" murmured Nico, remembering.

" – with my mum, so I thought I'd message you back."

"_Now_?" whinged Will. Nico elbowed him in the ribs.

"Excellent. So, I've been wanting to ask you a few things."

"Shoot," grinned Percy.

Will pulled a face and leaned over to the desk, Nico keeping a hold on his pyjama top so that he didn't fall out of the bed. He leaned back in again, clipboard in hand.

"So," started Nico, "I want you to think back to when you had the master bolt. Years ago. Do you think you could have used it?"

Percy thought for a moment. "Yeah. I reckon I could have done. Zeus would have incinerated me with a lesser bolt, but still, yeah, I could have given it a go." He hesitated. "You're not in the process of doing something _really_ stupid, are you?"

Nico shook his head. "Oh, no. No! I'm just trying to understand how it works. How do you think you could have activated it?"

Percy nodded. "Quite easily."

Nico frowned. "Really? You didn't have it for that long –"

Percy grinned. "There was a pretty big button at one end. I guess pressing that would have made it work. And brought down all kinds of trouble on me. Besides, if only Zeus could use it, why was he so worried about Hades getting hold of it?"

"True." Nico's mouth twitched. "Though Dad wouldn't have done anything like that."

"No," said Will, his face expressionless. "He's such a sweetie – _ouch_!" He rubbed his ankle. "OK, OK, I'll just go back to quietly making notes!" He glanced up at Percy, who grimaced in sympathy. "_Ow_!"

"I saw that." Nico looked back at Percy. "So, I've been asking everyone about their powers, and I want to know how yours work."

"Well, they're pretty awesome! I can –"

"Yeah." Nico cut Percy off with a wave of his hand. "What I want to know is how it feels when you use them. _How_ does it come about?"

Percy bit his lip, thinking. "It – It feels amazing. Like I'm connected to everything. I can hear the sea – taste the water – really, I can't think of any other way of describing it except that it's like I'm part of it."

Nico nodded. "I know what you mean. And you can breathe underwater, right?"

Percy nodded. "Just like normal. I don't grow gills, or anything like that."

"And you can talk to fish."

"And horses!" replied Percy.

"Are they more interesting than fish?" chipped in Will.

Percy laughed. "_Anything_ is more interesting than what fish think about."

"And, generally, anything Poseidon can do, you can do to? Earthquakes, hurricanes, the lot?"

"Uh-huh." Percy blushed. "But on a much smaller scale. I have to actually _be_ there."

"So…?" Nico reached across and brought a glass of water into Percy's line of vision.

Percy screwed up his eyes in concentration, and then shook his head. "Nothing."

"But _I_ can…" mused Nico. "Hmm."

"You're connected to the shadows, I guess," said Percy. "They go everywhere." He started, and looked round –

"Who are you talking to?" floated a voice. Annabeth slid into the picture. Nico and Will waved. "Hi, you two," she said. "What are you up to?"

"Finding out about Percy's powers."

"And how they're exceptional," said Percy, smugly.

"They're not, actually," said Will coolly, flipping back through a few sheets.

The other three looked at him, frowning. "This is _Percy_," said Nico. "Even allowing for his ego, he's just about the most –"

"Oh, no, not in terms of strength. But his powers, and the way he accesses them, all conform to the standard model – a kind of one-ness with whatever the parent god is, um, god of, but on a strictly localised level. And, actually, even the strength of his powers isn't hard to account for: the fewer children a god has, the more powerful those children tend to be. And Percy has no demigod siblings in either form." Will hesitated. "Yet."

Percy blinked. "So, if my dad were to have more kids…?"

"You might get weaker. There are anomalies, though. Some demigods simply_ are_ stronger than others. And it all depends on what the god has power over to start with. But, um, yeah. How those powers are distributed fits a fairly standardised model."

Annabeth looked impressed. "Huh. What about gods with more abstract qualities?"

"Like Athena?" grinned Nico. He looked inquiringly at Will. "Well?"

Will pondered. "No idea." He shrugged. And then yawned. "Which might be a project for another day."

Percy nodded. "OK. I'll call back at another time – the week-end, maybe?"

"Fine. But, like, in the day-time?" suggested Nico.

Percy grinned. "Will do!" He winked. "Sleep tight – _ouch!_" The connection dissolved with a scene of Percy being poked by Annabeth. Nico laughed lightly.

He turned over to hug Will more closely. "You were being clever, weren't you?"

"It helps if you actually read the charts you make me compile…" sighed Will. He yawned again – longer this time. He shifted in the bed. "Now – out. This bed isn't wide enough for the two of us to sleep here."

"Especially not with your windmill arms," said Nico. Kissing Will, he slipped over to the bed made-up opposite. It was close enough that they could reach out and touch each other.

"Night, night," murmured Nico.

There was a sudden knock at the door. Will sat bolt upright, banging his head on the bunk above. "Yeah?" he said.

Chiron put his head around the door. "Just a routine inspection," he said, looking round the room. Will rubbed his head and glanced guiltily across to the other bed. Nico, luckily, had melted away.

After Chiron had closed the door again, and Will laid his throbbing head back onto the pillow, he wondered idly if it had been Percy.

And if so, whether Nico was making him pay.


	13. Apples Good - Cake Better

**Hi. Mini-arc coming up. Please leave reviews - they're really greatly appreciated!**

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**Apples Are Good For You; Cake Is Better**

* * *

There was a curious sadness over the camp. No-one could put their finger on a cause, but there it was. They just felt sad.

Even Will, when he tried his usual smile on people, found that it didn't come out right. It was like he was being sympathetic. Or pained. Nico, generally known for his dour attitude, managed to become even more subdued. Neither of them could must the energy to continue their work on the gods. They, like most of the rest of the remaining campers, just lolled around staring mournfully into space. Sometimes Will would read morose poetry. Sometimes, and this was worse, he'd read it aloud. Then they'd sit, and feel a little sadder. And yet no wiser.

There was crying, too. Campers would be sitting, quite normally, eating dinner, or half-heartedly practising sword-fighting, and then would spontaneously burst into tears.

And, if that wasn't bad enough, Chiron was going grey.

* * *

"Come on. Let's go for a picnic." Will tried to grin at Nico, but his heart wasn't in it.

"Why?" sighed Nico. "What's the point?"

Will shrugged. "Does there need to be a point?" His face fell a little further. "Don't you want to come? For a pic-nico?"

Nico felt guilty. Though not about the pun. He gripped Will's hand. "Of course I do. If you're there, I'm there. But – it _is_ February."

"It's not like that applies inside the camp. And it might do us some good. Shake off this…" Will paused. "Melancholy."

"Mmm." Nico stared around the room. "I'll get a blanket. You get some food. Back in – oh, whenever, I guess."

"Ready!" said Will holding up a rucksack.

"Oh. You'd prepared this?" asked Nico. His mouth twitched. "That's nice." He frowned. "It really is. I don't get why I'm not happier about it."

Will held open the cabin door for Nico. "I don't know. It's the same with me – and _I'm_ the one organising it! It's, like, every time I start to feel happy about something, I feel really guilty about doing it. You know what I mean?"

Nico nodded. "I know exactly what you mean." He sighed. "But why, though?" He sighed again. "Dunno."

They turned into the woods. Nothing in there would touch Nico, so they were fine. Plus, they were all feeling pretty sorry for themselves, too. The two of them wandered along in subdued silence, gently swinging their linked hands back and forth.

"It's not even directed at anything," said Will suddenly.

"Huh?" said Nico, furrowing his brow.

"This, you know, sadness. Everything feels fine. You. Me. The flowers. There's nothing wrong with any of it. But, underneath – sad."

"Mmm. And hungry."

Will looked at him. "Good point." He twisted his head around. They were in a clearing, and a little distance away was a flat space of ground. Shrugging off the rucksack, Will then unzipped it, and chucked the blanket at Nico. Nico then spent ages getting it into _exactly_ the right place.

"Finished?" asked Will, hopefully.

"Uh…" Nico straightened one of the corners and patted it down. "Yes."

"Fantastic."

Will flopped dramatically down onto the blanket, intending to mess it up as much as possible, just to annoy him, Nico thought –

"_Ow!"_ Will yelped, sitting up and rubbing his hip. He patted the blanket. "Tree root."

"Serves you right, really, doesn't it?" said Nico, placing himself carefully on the blanket. He hesitated, and then shook his head. "Nope. No smile coming from that, either. Hmm." He rummaged in the bag. "Tuna or ham?"

* * *

"Apple."

"No."

"Apple!"

"_No_."

Will threw it at him. Nico, instinctively, threw up his hands and caught it. "Eat it."

Nico looked at it in distaste. "Really?"

"Yes. It's good for you." Will took out another one and bit into it. "Mmm…" he said, exaggerating his delight in it (and also spraying little bits of apple everywhere in a way which was, frankly, quite disgusting).

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Don't do that."

"You still have to eat it," said Will, wiping his mouth. "Or –" (He clutched the bag to his chest) "–I won't let you have any cake."

Nico narrowed his eyes. "What kind?"

"Fudge."

Nico's eyes went round. "With –"

"With that icing you like. Yes. Like I did for your birthday. I thought it would cheer us up."

"Then what's the apple supposed to do…" Nico muttered sourly, but then grudgingly put the apple to his mouth.

Will relaxed his hold on the bag. "Good b –"

Nico lunged forwards to try and grab the bag. Will, though, was expecting him, and so tugged it out of the way. All that Nico succeeded in doing was knocking Will onto his back as he landed on top of him. As the breath was forced out of him, so was the pall of sadness. Will smiled. "How did I guess that you were going to –"

"Good afternoon, boys."

"Is it?" said Nico, automatic, before looking up to see a woman standing in a clearing of the forest. She had an odd translucent quality, as if you were seeing more of her mind than her body. Nico wasn't sure that that description made sense. It was more like –

"I believe you've met my husband?" She glanced between Nico and Will. "And found that he was right?"

Nico rolled off Will, blushing slightly. He stood up, straightening his appearance.

Will's brow furrowed in confusion. It didn't help that from his angle everything was upside down – and it only got worse when Nico bowed. He got to his feet. "Who – what –?"

"Psyche," whispered Nico.

Will blinked, and gave a hurried bow. "But I still don't get –"

"You remember me telling you about Cupid?"

Will's brain rattled back. He stared sympathetically at Nico as he remembered. He stared at Psyche. He clapped a hand to his mouth. "Oh!"

She nodded. "My husband can be callous, but, despite all appearances, he's not malicious."

"Fooled me…" growled Nico.

"And what would have happened if he hadn't forced you to that? Would you still be moping over Percy? Would you still be walling yourself away from everyone? You certainly wouldn't be going on a picnic with your boyfriend."

"Well – I don't think – I mean, I could have – uh – maybe – I suppose I might – You can't _know_ – It just wasn't –"

"Nico?" said Will.

"Mmm?"

"Shut up."

Nico folded his arms and glared at him.

Will ignored him, and looked instead at Psyche. "What's the problem?"

Oh. The 'Percy' approach to talking to gods and goddesses, Nico thought. But, then, it was probably right to assume that, whenever one turned up, they wanted something.

"I've lost my children."

Will felt a sudden rush of (even more) sadness, and patted her on the shoulder. "I'm sorry. Are they demigods? Should they be at Camp?"

She shook her head. "No, my children with Cupid. Youth and Joy."

Nico's eyes widened. "So that's why –"

"You feel sad all the time?" She nodded. "That's right. It's worse for those most intimately connected with the gods, but, given time, the sadness will seep into the mortal world, too. Also, people, particularly those whose lives have been extended, might begin to show their true ages."

"Like Chiron!" exclaimed Will.

"And the gods…" Nico said, looking intently at Psyche. Yes, there were some wrinkles there.

Will blinked, and then snorted with laughter.

Nico and Psyche both looked at him like he was crazy. "What?" said Nico.

"Like _you_, Death Boy."

"Huh?" Nico started to stare in horror at himself. Were those freckles on his hands or liver spots? Had he been getting out of breath more? He put a hand to the back of his head, to check for bald patches –

"No need to be so paranoid, Nico." Will leaned in to him, and dropped his voice. "You can hardly notice the grey hairs."

"I'm really going grey?" Nico's expression of wide-eyed despair was almost too much for Will to bear. Almost.

"Yeah," lied Will. He looked back up at Psyche, who seemed pretty confused. "I'm guessing that you're summoning us on a quest, then?"

She nodded.

Will glanced at Nico. The thought of a quest seemed to have cheered him up a bit. Will couldn't really admit to feeling the same way, but, if it was going to solve this problem, then it would be OK.

"Where might we –" Nico started, and then stopped, speaking. Will looked around. Psyche was gone.

The pair of them shrugged.

"Goddesses. Never forthcoming with information," sighed Nico.

"Prophecies are generally more useful," agreed Will.

"Though always needlessly complicated." Nico walked across the clearing, trying to see if Psyche had left anything "Do you think we ought to get one?" He turned back.

Will went to reply, but felt his jaw clench. Alarmed, he tried again, but by now his vision was blurring. Nico became a blotchy shape in the distance, as Will's sight became flooded with a golden light.

Nico watched, worried, as Will started to sway from side to side. "Are you OK –" He started forwards, but as he did so, his boyfriend was already sliding, semi-conscious, to the ground, a dopey smile playing about his mouth. "Will!"


	14. Nico Reads a Book

**No prizes awarded for the correct identification of the poems quoted below (sorry). Also, reviews make very small parts of the world go round.**

* * *

**Nico Reads a Book**

* * *

Will stared into a vast blaze of light, amorphous and constantly moving. It flashed in random places, as if there was something zooming about inside it. It filled the whole of his vision, and somehow, he felt totally warm and comfortable, as if wrapped up in something familiar. Will tried to blink at the dazzling brightness, but then realised that his eyes were closed, and he was, therefore, seeing all this inside his head. OK… There was bound to be a good reason for this, right? He wasn't just having some kind of mental break down as all the nerves between his eyes and brain disintegrated –

"Hey."

He knew that voice. And the casual arrogance that assumed that you could just take over somebody's brain without asking, and that that would be totally OK. Will knew what he was going to say to that!

"Uh – hi, Dad." Oh. Well, that hadn't come out like he'd wanted it too. "Nice to see you." Neither had that.

"So, Psyche's sent you on a quest?"

"Yeah; you know about that already?"

"I'm a god." The light pulsed in a way that seemed smug. "I know things."

"So, er, can you give us a hand?"

"I can do better than that. I can give you a prophecy."

Great. Nico would be delighted. "Are you _allowed_ to give prophecies?"

The light seemed to – blush? – dim a little. "W_ell…_ Kind-of."

"How do you mean?"

"No big prophecies. And I can't tell you much. But this would be more of a little prophecy. Your standard '_Two will go forth…'_ job. A teeny-tiny prophecette. A prophecina. A 'pr', if you will."

Will, had his disembodied consciousness had them, would have rolled his eyes. He just settled for sighing. (How could he do that? He didn't have lungs. In fact, how could he speak? But enough of that. Things to get on with!) "So what is it?"

"Hmm. What rhymes with Psyche?"

"Spiky. Nike." Will paused. "Acne."

"Not much use. That's really cleared up recently, hasn't it?"

Will would have blushed. "Yes…" he muttered.

"Well, I've gone off poetry. I just think it's all getting a bit stale. So I'll tell you straight: there was a poet once who knew what he was talking about."

Will waited. Nothing else happened.

"That was it? That wasn't 'straight' at all!"

Will held his breath for the 'neither are you' he expected to follow. To his surprise, it didn't come.

"I'm sorry, Will. I'm bound by a higher power. I've had to bypass the Oracle just to tell you that much."

"Oh. Well, thanks, I guess."

"No problem. I'll see you around…"

The light started to fade. A thought struck Will. Nico would definitely be interested. "If you don't prophesy something, does it happen anyway?" he blurted out.

The light continued to dwindle.

"Dad?" Will waited, and then gave another sigh. Oh, well. "Love you…" He said, probably to himself.

_Dark_.

* * *

"My brain hurts…" groaned Will. He levered himself up and let himself be guided until his back rested against a tree. Nico was very close by.

"The shock of being used?" suggested Nico, with his mouth curling into a wry smile. That expression was competing with the expression of relief which was by now mostly covering up his earlier worried face.

"Yeah…" nodded Will (gingerly)."Like I was some kind of – I don't know – _implement_."

"That wasn't what I meant…" murmured Nico.

"Not now, Nico," said Will quietly, pressing the heels of his hands to his temples. "Ow…"

"What happened?" asked Nico.

"My dad," muttered Will. "He wanted to give us a prophecy."

Nico (as expected) groaned. "Yeah? What was it?"

"'There was a poet once who knew what he was talking about'."

Nico blinked. "That's _all_ we're getting?"

Will shrugged. "He said that he wasn't allowed to tell us any more. Even that was a bit of a risk, apparently."

"Mmm," muttered Nico darkly, "Zeus might take away his hair-straighteners." He sighed. "At least it wasn't in rhyme."

"He's gone off that, apparently."

Nico put his hands together. "Thank gods. But he really couldn't say any more than that?"

"He might have said '_Two will go forth'_ as a hint, but, since Psyche came to speak to us, I guess we knew that already."

Nico raised his eyebrows and let out a long breath. "See. Prophecies. Oh so useful. All we have to do is find some poem, somewhere, that is in some way useful. Great."

"That's it," said Will.

"Hmph." Nico's expression softened. "How's the head?"

Will wobbled it from side to side. A slight twinge, but at least he didn't feel dizzy anymore. "Better."

Nico kissed him on the forehead.

"Much better…" smiled Will.

Nico gave a little bark of laughter and then held out his hand. "Come on. Let's get back to camp. You've got a poem to find."

"Me?"

"You're the one that likes reading. And isn't dyslexic, so it's quicker."

"It might be a Greek poem," pointed out Will.

"Then I'll look through those, then." Nico gestured with his hand. "Up!"

Will shook his head (and tried not to wince), then pointed at the discarded box by the rug. "We've still got that cake to finish." He patted the ground next to him.

"Have we got time?" asked Nico. Will raised an eyebrow. Nico picked up the box. "They _are_ immortal, I guess. Plus, I wonder how long they've known about this." He wrinkled his nose. "Was it just me, or did Psyche not really seem that upset?" He sat next to Will. "I mean, presumably Apollo knew it was going to happen. Did you ask –?"

"Yes," said Will. He pulled a face. "No answer."

"Hmm." Nico opened the box. "I really like this cake…"

* * *

"A quest?"

"Uh-huh." Nico glanced at Will, and then back at Chiron. "We even got a little prophecy from Apollo."

Chiron blinked. "It's a bit odd. Psyche just turned up and spoke to you?"

Will nodded. "She said something about Nico knowing her husband."

Nico flushed. "That's not important… Anyway, she wants us to find her children. That's why we're all so sad. And, apparently, ageing."

Chiron sneaked a self-conscious look in the mirror at the end of the room. (So did Nico.) "Do you have any idea where you might start? Does the prophecy – not that you should tell me – help at all?"

"Not much," admitted Will, "but I need to think about it."

"Can we go?" asked Nico.

"You don't know where, for how long, against whom, or even how to find out any of those answers." Chiron sighed. "But you have to go. You've been chosen by the goddess; you'll just have to muddle through." He gripped their hands. "Take care."

They nodded solemnly.

"You can leave – well, as soon as you work out where you're leaving _to_."

They nodded again, and got up. "Thanks, Chiron!"

As they left the room, Will asked Nico: "How _did_ you know Cupid?"

* * *

"It's got to be something I've already got, right?" said Will, squinting at his bookshelf, his head on one side.

"Don't bet on it," said Nico, flipping through a copy of Hesiod. He looked up. "I mean, I can get anything you want, if you need me to."

Will nodded. "Yeah. But if I knew _what_!" He drummed his fingers over the top of his books, and pulled one out at random. The _Four Quartets_. Probably not likely to be helpful. Or even half-way comprehensible. He flicked through it, running his eyes over the words. " 'We shall not cease from exploration / And the end of our exploring / Will be to arrive where we started / And know it for the first time.' "

"I hope _that's_ not the one we're looking for," said Nico.

"I don't think it is…" said Will, snapping the little book shut and sliding it back onto the shelf.

"Are there any poems, say, _about_ Psyche?" asked Nico.

Will's brow furrowed. He brightened. "Yes!" He ran his hand along the shelf, stopping at a black-bound volume. He tugged it from its position. He waved it at Nico and smiled wryly. " 'Kates'."

Nico scowled. "OK, make fun of the dyslexic… What's it got in it?"

" 'O latest born and loveliest vision far / Of all Olympus' faded hierarchy!' ."

Nico raised his eyebrows at Will. "Did she _pay_ Keats to write that? I mean, yeah, she's more than passably pretty, but…"

"Not my area," quipped Will. He scanned the rest of the poem. He frowned. "Nothing here of much use. Just saying how she doesn't have a temple, and that he'd make her one. Your typical needy goddess. And a besotted demigod."

"Cupid wouldn't have like that much," said Nico.

Will set the book down on the table and sighed. "It was a good idea, Death Boy. But I guess it's just going to be something else."

Nico picked up the book and went through another couple of pages. He squinted. "Melancholy. That's us. That's everyone at camp." His eye caught a familiar pattern on the page. He turned the book back to Will. "Does that say Psyche?"

"Er…" Will took hold of the book. " 'Nor let the beetle, nor the death-moth be / Your mournful Psyche' " He scanned down, raising his eyebrows. "Hey, Nico: 'She dwells with Beauty – Beauty that must die; / And Joy, whose hand is ever at his lips' " He beamed at Nico.

Nico frowned. "Who does? I don't get it."

" 'Ay, in the very temple of Delight / Veil'd Melancholy has her sovran shrine.' "

"Oh! You mean – Melancholy took them? Also 'sovran'? Are you _sure_ Keats wasn't dyslexic?"

Will nodded. "Looks like she did. And, yes, I am."

"To do what with them?"

Will shrugged, and read to the end of the poem. "This, I guess: '...burst Joy's grape against his palate fine; / His soul shalt taste the sadness of her might / And be among her cloudy trophies hung.' "

Nico, despite himself, sniggered.

Will looked at him. "What?"

" 'Burst Joy's grape'? That sounds a bit … dodgy."

Will rolled his eyes. "Grow up." He read over the poem again. "So, we need to go the temple of Delight. Well done, Nico."

"I found it! What am I…?" preened Nico, angling for praise.

Will cupped his boyfriend's face in his hands. "Very, very, _very_ –" He kissed him. "– lucky."

Nico pouted. There was no helping it. Will just had to kiss him again.


	15. Taking a Walk

**Taking a Walk**

* * *

Nico poked his head around the door and rolled his eyes. "Are you _still_ getting ready?"

Will looked up from his rucksack. There were a lot of clothes scattered over his bed; the bag already looked over-full. He smiled sheepishly. "I can't decide what to take with me."

Nico shook his head, and went over to take the bag from Will. "What do you need all this stuff for?" He tipped everything out. "You can take these, these, this, that, and this." Picking clothes at random, he folded them quickly and shoved them into the rucksack. "All the rest can go back."

"But – but –"

Nico raised an eyebrow.

"They don't even match!" protested Will.

"Who cares! It's a quest, not a fashion show." Nico scanned the rest of the bed. "And you can take the book – the medical kit – money – water – and –" He reached under a pile of t-shirts and sighed. "– your dagger." He gave it to Will, who stuck it into his belt.

"Finished?" asked Will sulkily.

Nico swung the bag on a finger towards Will. "Yep."

As Will fumblingly caught the bag, Nico gathered up Will's mass of clothes and dumped them into the cupboard.

"Hey! Hey!" said Will. "They'll get all crushed!"

Nico shrugged and stuck out his tongue. He looped his arm through Will's and jammed a wide-brimmed hat onto his boyfriend's head. "Onwards, Sunshine!"

"You're weirdly enthusiastic today, aren't you?"

"I just don't want you to see me with wrinkles." His lip curling up at the side, Nico pulled Will out into the camp.

Will had always imagined that leaving on a quest would be a big deal. It often had been in the past. But, then, those quests really _had_ been pretty important. And there had been more people in Camp. He had definitely not anticipated his quest starting off as, essentially, an arm-in-arm stroll along the road to the camp. It was like going on pick-up missions all over again.

"So, where exactly is the 'Temple of Delight'?" he asked Nico.

Nico tipped his head from side to side. "No-one knows, exactly. You don't know, apparently, until to you find it."

"Does anyone know 'roughly'?"

"Utah."

"Utah?" said Will, incredulous.

"That's what I've heard," said Nico, shrugging.

"From whom?"

"From the dead."

"Might have known…" muttered Will. "So – Utah. How do we get there, then?"

Nico grinned at Will. "I think you know how."

Will's eyes widened, and he tried to unlink his arm. "No! I won't –"

The shadows closed around them, and, for a minute or so, they were spun through the darkness. Will squeezed his eyes shut, and felt Nico's hand tighten reassuringly on his. Then they stopped moving, and, eyes still closed, Will toppled sideways, bringing a perfectly poised Nico down with him. Wincing in the dust, and avoiding Nico's withering look, Will picked himself up.

"I really don't like that," he said.

Nico shrugged. "Tough." He looked around. "So. Here we are."

"In a desert. Is this where you meant for us to go?"

Nico flushed. "Sort-of…"

"You mean no."

Nico bit his lip. "Well, I reckon, seeing as there's no record of anyone ever finding it, it's probably in the middle-of-nowhere, right? So, in a way, we're exactly where we should be."

"You just have no idea where 'here' is?"

"Maybe…" Nico looked sheepish. "But it's definitely Utah."

"Great." Will fanned himself with his hat. "So, what do we do now? Are you going to take me through dozens of horrible mini shadow-hops until we find this place?"

Nico shook his head. "We're going to have to walk."

"Why?"

Nico gestured. "Look around! Do you see enough shadows for that?"

Nico was right. Apart from the rock that they'd landed by, everywhere was barren an in the full glare of the sun. "Great…" muttered Will, wishing he owned a pair of sturdier shoes. He could already feel the sand inside his trainers. "Which way, then, genius?"

Nico sucked at his teeth, pondering. "That way, until it gets dark. Then we'll be able to shadow-travel again."

Will adjusted the strap of his rucksack, sighed, and followed Nico.

* * *

"Are there any good children of Hades?"

"What?" said Nico, dragging his eyes away from the horizon.

"Are there any good children of Hades?" repeated Will.

"Um – _me_?" said Nico, a little affronted.

"Except _you_, silly," said Will, bumping him with his hip.

"Well – uh –" Nico frowned. "What are you counting as good? I mean, there are some really interesting –"

"Necromancers?"

"Uh-huh."

"Spies?"

"Um. Yes?"

"Assassins?"

"Yeah… Not good?" asked Nico, raising an eyebrow.

"Not generally," replied Will. He looked down at Nico. "Are you really the best that there is?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, _dear_," said Nico. He pondered in silence for a while.

"Anything?" asked Will.

"Dante!" burst out Nico, slapping his forehead.

Will blinked. "Really? I'd have thought –"

"Apollo? You can't have them all you know." Nico looked away, his gaze unfocused. "Strange man. Only person to have gone through Tartarus quite happily. Taking _notes_."

"But apart from that?"

"Not much good, no. It's the power thing – the charisma. It's very tempting. And people are easily tempted."

"I know…" Will sprang away from Nico, his nose red. "Hey!"

"That'll teach you," said Nico smoothly, a grin ghosting at his lips. "Now, does it look like we're getting anywhere?"

Will looked around. "No. I can't see anything that looks like a temple. Nor anything that really looks any different to anything we've walked past so far. It's all just so monotonous."

Nico squinted at the sun. It was almost tipping down to set. Their shadows were lengthening – but not enough. "Not long now, and then we can zip about all over the place."

"What do you reckon it looks like?" asked Will.

Nico shrugged. "Your normal temple, I presume. Though there are bound to be monsters in the way – in fact, I'm quite surprised that we haven't met any yet."

"Then we must be going the wrong way," said Will.

Nico looked sceptical. "Maybe. But it's impossible to tell."

"It could be one of those places that you only find when you're really, really lost. Though, that begs the question: why haven't we found it yet?"

Nico tipped his head to one side. "Are you saying we're lost?"

"Well, do _you_ have any idea where we are?"

* * *

Will rubbed his eyes and looked at his watch. "Nico…" he groaned. "It's one in the morning. We've been shadow-travelling around this desert for hours. I'm tired, I'm dusty, I'm tired, I feel quite nauseous – did I mention I'm tired? – I can't feel my feet anymore, and I just really, really, _really_ want to go to bed!"

Nico looked across at a drooping Will. He did look pretty exhausted. "You've got enough energy to complain, though?"

Will moaned.

"Just kidding," said Nico. "We'll find somewhere to sleep. I can't promise you anything good, though."

"There must be somewhere round here…" said Will, stifling a yawn.

"We may have to take another couple of trips…" said Nico, stretching out his hand.

Will winced, and went, reluctantly, to take it, when he saw something in the light of the moon. "Wha's that?" he slurred, pointing, and failing this time to stifle the yawn.

A few hundred yards away stood a neatly-painted building with a sign outside. It looked suspiciously welcoming.

Nico narrowed his eyes. "I'm not sure we should… It's a bit _convenient_, isn't it?"

Will shook his head. "That's exactly what it is. Convenient. For us. Let's go, Death Boy."

"Fine. But it's your funeral…"

"Not everything's got a monster behind it, Nico," said Will.

They neared the entrance. Nico paused by the sign. "What does this say, Will – Will?" His boyfriend had already walked through the door. With a slight gulp, and keeping his hand close to his sword, Nico followed him.

"Hello," said Will, shambling up to the desk. "We'd like a room for the night. Yes, for the two of us. Yes, we are." He slumped forwards. "If it's a problem, could we please talk about it in the – in the – morning?" He yawned a couple more times.

"No problem…" said the man behind the desk, his eyes darting between the two of them. He adjusted his high collar. "You don't even have to pay now. You can just get to bed." He stood up (he was rather tall) and unhooked a key from the rack behind him. "Follow me."

"This is an unusual place to have a hotel, isn't it, Mr…?" asked Nico.

"Call me Rusty. Well, there are always people who need a bed, aren't there?" The man stopped by a door. "Here you are."

He opened it, and they went in. The room was dominated by an iron-framed bed. The sheets were brilliantly clean – almost as if no-one had ever slept in them – and Nico had to admit that it looked inviting.

As Will staggered towards the bed, shedding his rucksack, Nico noticed the man reach for something – something he'd dropped, maybe – and, in doing so, tip his head to one side, exposing a red line of scars around his neck. Nico's eyes flicked from the man to the odd vine-like design on the head- and foot-boards of the bed. Something Percy had once told him flagged inside his head. His eyes snapped back to 'Rusty'. He seemed taller now – and, more of a clue, was holding a bronze axe in his right hand.

Nico opened his mouth to warn Will –

It was too late. Will was already settling onto the bed, his head brushing against the metalwork.

The man grinned, and snapped his fingers.

* * *

**TBC...**

**Reviews always warmly welcomed!**


	16. How to Deal With Bad Service

**How to Deal with Bad Service**

* * *

Nico rushed towards him.

Nothing happened. The man snapped his fingers again.

Still nothing. Will rubbed his eyes and raised an eyebrow. "I'm the right height, Procrustes. Exactly six feet tall." He pulled the sheet around him.

Procrustes scowled and snapped his fingers for a third time.

"It's no use," said Will, his eyes still closed. "I knew this was your place. Percy Jackson – remember him? – told me about you. I read the sign outside. 'Rusty' is not a great improvement on 'Crusty', by the way. Now, if you don't mind, I'm pretty tired, so bugger off. Sorry."

Will opened one eye. "And you can stop waving that sword around and get into bed, Nico."

"Can I not cut his head off? _Please…_" Nico pouted.

"No," sighed Will, closing his eyes again. "It would get everywhere. Now, _in_." Nico obeyed, suddenly feeling rather tired himself.

"Well, _he_ won't be tall enough!" said Procrustes, readying his fingers again –

"No," said Will. "You won't be doing that. _I'm_ tall enough, so this is _my_ bed. And I can do with it what I like. Go away."

Procrustes hung around for a few more moments, before slinking off, disappointed.

"I still think that you should have let me cut his head off," grumbled Nico. "Will? Will?"

But Will was already snoring gently.

* * *

Will sniffed, and sneezed.

He and Nico opened their eyes at the same time, Nico starting backwards, his eyes flicking around anxiously.

"Sorry…" mumbled Will. He glanced at Nico's hair. "It's you, I'm afraid." He rubbed his hair, sending a shower of red dust over the pair of them. "And me." He sneezed again; so did Nico.

"Yeah." Nico blinked blearily. He cuddled in close to Will, burying his head in his chest. "This is much better," he said, his voice muffled.

"Not from my perspective…" muttered Will, desperately trying to suppress yet another sneeze.

"Don't care," said Nico. He hummed contentedly into Will's side.

Will sighed. "You smell funny."

"Do I? Of what?"

Will sniffed. "Death."

"And what does that smell like?"

Will thought. It was hard to describe. "Dry. Cold."

"Those aren't smells, Sunshine," muttered Nico.

"Like lemons that have been kept in a fridge."

"That's just weird. How's that a specific smell? How can someone smell like that?"

Will shrugged. "You do."

"Fine." Nico lifted his head. "You smell of sunshine and rainbows, by the way."

"You're being sarcastic aren't you?"

"Well picked up. You actually smell like someone who's walked across a desert and hasn't changed his clothes."

"Yeah, well, so do you. But _I_ can sniff past that."

"Bully for you…" Nico rolled onto his back. "This conversation is stupid."

"You're just getting that now?"

Nico rubbed his eyes. "I'm hungry. D'you reckon they do breakfast here?"

* * *

"Thanks, Rusty," said Nico, piling some scrambled egg onto a bit of bacon.

"See," said Will, "things are so much better if you don't kill your guests."

Procrustes glowered at them, thumping a rack of toast onto the table.

Will reached into his pocket and brought out a few drachmas. He stacked them on the table. Rusty's eyes gleamed. Will put his hand out for the ketchup, and, totally accidentally, knocked the pile over, sending the coins scattering over the floor.

Procrustes bent immediately to gather them up.

A moment or so later, his separated head and body were dissolving, and Nico was wiping his sword on a tablecloth, and returning it to his hip.

Will buttered some toast, and crunched down on it. "And, this, Nico," he said, gesturing to the breakfast table, "is why we didn't kill him last night."

"I admit, that _was_ a good plan." Nico gathered up the coins from the floor. He popped back up again. "But I'm making a mental note not to get on the wrong side of you. You can be a cold, cold –"

Will suddenly squealed as some jam dripped onto his clean white t-shirt.

"– camp little fuss-pot," finished Nico, raising an amused eyebrow as Will dabbed at his top with a napkin, making just the most adorable crushed-up face…

* * *

"Do you reckon meeting Procrustes means that we're on the right track?" asked Will, kicking a stone along the ridge.

Nico bobbed his head. "I think so. Why else would he be there, if not to waylay people looking for something like the Temple of Delight?"

"Spite?" suggested Will.

"Not everyone's like you, Sunshine."

"What do you reckon it looks like?" asked Will.

Nico shrugged. "Your normal – hey, didn't you ask this yesterday?"

Will thought. "Yeah. I did. Huh. Weird."

"You're losing it."

Will grinned. "At least I had it to start with."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Careful, or you'll regret something."

"Like what?"

"Like going to all the trouble of changing your t-shirt, for a start."

Will looked down. He was in blue now. He simply couldn't bear wearing the stained top. He pulled a face. "But –"

"There's no-one here!" exclaimed Nico.

"We're looking for a goddess! And some minor gods. You've got to make a good impression."

"Yeah, because it's the crisp ironing that's going to convince them to listen to us."

"It's all about the little things, Death Boy." Will smirked. "And you should know."

"And what's that meant to mean?"

Will patted Nico on the top of his head. "Whatever you like, little one."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, while you're exchanging starching-tips, I'll be breaking the kids out of their chains and saving the day."

"Yep. I can see that –"

"Woah!" called out Nico suddenly, grabbing the back of Will's shirt.

Will stopped suddenly, and staggered backwards, away from the edge of the sudden drop. Will blinked and looked down the narrow chasm. It was about the width of five Wills. And the depth of rather a lot of Wills. Which was absolutely a reasonable measurement of distance. "Thanks…" he said, turning pale.

"Not a problem," said Nico, dropping onto his stomach and peering down into the crevice. "What do you reckon is down there?" he mused.

"I can't believe that it would be the temple," said Will, squatting next to him. "There's nowhere near enough space."

"What if it was carved into the rock?" suggested Nico.

"Like Petra?"

"Uh-huh."

Will pondered. "Could be. Not very Greek, though, surely?"

"Hmm. There are rock-cut tombs, but, I'll admit, temples like that are rather … well, unprecedented. But maybe that's why no-one has ever found it. Because it's not what they think they're looking for."

"Hmm. So you reckon that we should have a look down there?"

"Worth a try, right?"

Will nodded. "Um. _How_?"

"Didn't we just agree that?" said Nico, confused.

"No, how do we get down there?" replied Will. He looked around. "Still no shadows – hey, can you use our own shadows?"

Nico shook his head. "You can't travel into your own shadow, because once you do, your shadow doesn't exist anymore. So you've travelled into something that isn't there. Not a good plan."

"Ah. True. So – er – got a rope, or something?"

Nico tipped his head to one side. He peered into the gap. He stood up. "I've got an idea…"

"Yeah?"

Nico winced. "You're not going to like it – _I'm_ not that keen on it…"

Will got to his feet, worried. "What is it?"

Nico bit his lip. "There are plenty of shadows down there." He pointed into the ravine.

Will frowned. "Can you bring them up here?"

"Not as such…" mumbled Nico. "But, uh, we, um, could go to them…"

Nico waited as the thoughts settled into Will's head. Will went very white. "No. No. Nononononono! That's insane!"

"It'll be fine!" Nico said, trying to sound confident. "I can do it. I think."

"I'm not jumping in there based on your 'I think'!" Will backed away from the edge. "There has to be another way down."

"I don't think there is." Nico took Will's hand. "Come on. You can trust me."

"Yeah, but do you trust yourself?"

Will watched Nico's lip wobble. "I will if you will, Will," he said in a small voice.

"Well, if you put it like that…" muttered Will. He sighed, and raised his eyebrows. "OK. I, _Will_, will."

Nico's mouth twitched up at the side. "Thanks." He led him to the edge. "Ready?"

Will blanched. If it were possible to have paled any further he would have actually started to fade away. "Um – I have to say – can I take back what I just said? I – I didn't really – um – mean to – I don't think – I wasn't thinking – Nico, it's not that I – um – Nico – I –" Will trailed off into silence. He stared at Nico, his eyes wide with fear. "Please don't make me do this…" he whispered.

Nico bit his lip. "Do you trust – no, do you _love_ me?"

Will nodded.

"Now, are you going to make me emotionally blackmail you into doing this?"

Will hesitated, and then shook his head. He glanced towards the crevasse. "If we end up as a pair of gristly pancakes at the bottom, I'll – I'll –"

"Do what?"

"I'll flirt with all the guys in the Underworld. And there'll be nothing you can do to stop it."

"Want a bet?" asked Nico, grinning.

Will rolled his eyes. "Let's get this over with." He gripped Nico's hand tightly, at the same time feeling his chest tighten around his ribs. He felt sick. This was a stupid thing to do. To just step off the edge with nothing but Nico to hold on to. Well, it's not like there was anyone he'd rather hold on to.

With a shared nod and squeeze of fingers, they stepped into the air, and dropped down towards the orange rocks beneath.

* * *

**I decided not to end with a cliffhanger this time...**

**Reviews are always great!**

**(Well done to Adventure Chicken for being absolutely right, by the way.)**


	17. Embarrassing Yourself

**Embarrassing Yourself**

* * *

They zapped out of the shadows at the bottom of the gulf. Will, much less used to shadow-travel, was unable to counter his continuing him momentum, and so fell over, bouncing off a rock.

"Ouch."

"No sympathy," murmured Nico, looking up. He'd been right. Carved into the rock face were a series of elaborate tunnel entrances, with bas-relief columns, scrolls, and geometric patterns. It was like someone had taken a Greek temple and then slammed it into a wall. Maybe someone had…

"Wow," said Will, staring at the cliff. "Just … wow!"

"I can see why they say Apollo's children have a way with words."

"I'll have a _word_ with you, if you're not careful," retorted Will. He hesitated. "Thanks, by the way."

Nico shrugged. "I knew I could do it."

Will raised an eyebrow.

Nico hung his head. "Well, I as _pretty_ sure I could do it…"

"Doesn't matter now…" said Will. He peered across the gloomy floor of the ravine, through the dusty light. "Are those stairs?"

Nico looked where Will pointed. "I think so. Up to the middle door."

"Ready?"

"Uh-huh."

The pair went to the bottom of the steps. They looked pretty steep, and the entrance was quite a way up. Will gave Nico a sidelong, slightly hopeful look. Nico rolled his eyes.

"Lazy git. You don't mind it now, eh?" Smiling and shaking his head, Nico willed the shadows to close around them.

* * *

"I'm not quite sure what's so _delight_ful about it…" commented Will, gazing around at the huge bare temple. "It's like any Greek temple. Nice, in a kind of classical way."

Nico looked up. "How do you reckon it's lit? I mean, it's like day in here, and we're definitely a long way down."

Will ran a hand over the stone. "I think… I think it glows on its own." He twisted around. "And _everything_ does – so no shadows."

Nico nodded. "Except at the door, where it meets the outside. Hmm. Pretty empty in here, isn't it?"

"Not even a frieze on the wall," agreed Will. He pointed towards a plain white block built into the far wall. "There's an altar down there."

They walked towards it, their steps echoing in the space of the room. Nico kept looking nervously around and fingering the hilt of his sword. "Someone must be able to hear us," he murmured to Will.

"Good," said Will, as they reached the altar, "we're looking for someone." He bent his head politely towards the altar, and then turned around. "But nobody's coming. Hmm."

Nico opened his mouth to say something, and –

"_Hello_!" called out Will.

Nico clamped his hand over Will's mouth. "Shh!" he hissed.

Will struggled to get free. It was no good. Nico's grip was just too strong. So he decided to kiss the palm of Nico's hand instead. Really watery, tonguey snogs.

"Euurgh!" whined Nico, wrenching his hand away and wiping it spasmodically on his trousers. "Yuck!"

"As I was trying to say," said Will, his voice low, "we want to draw attention to ourselves. This is not a sneaky operation."

"Why not?" said back Nico sharply. "We could have just scouted around, found the kids, and left, without even letting anyone know we were here. What's your plan? Summon a goddess and challenge her to fight?"

"No! Negotiate, Nico! There must be some reason for all this – if we don't resolve it, then this'll just keep happening. Do you think they wouldn't get kidnapped at all?"

"But –" protested Nico.

"But nothing. You've got to treat the disease, not the symptoms."

Nico narrowed his eyes. "Oh, don't start with that condescending stuff. I've been on loads more quests, and I know that –"

There was a cough to their left. They turned. A tall woman was standing watching them. Nico suddenly realised that he'd been on the verge of shouting that last part. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Will smile slightly, and realised that Will had intended him to get angry all along. Oh, that boy! At times, Nico really could – could – Huh. Nothing, really. He zoned back in as the goddess spoke:

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Oh – um – er – Are you Melancholy?" asked Will.

"Yes. Though _that_ is the altar of Delight. My shrine is over there." She inclined her head towards a veiled-off chamber from the main hall, and then led them towards it. "What do you want from me?"

"Cupid and Psyche's children: Youth and Joy," said Nico. He glanced nervously across at Will and shrugged slightly. Best to be direct.

Melancholy frowned. Nico and Will felt sad inside. "I don't know what you mean."

Will tried to shake off the dull weight. "Yes, you do! 'She – (_You_) – dwells … With Joy, whose hand is ever at his lips.' So where is he? And his sister?"

The goddess sighed, and her eyes filled with tears. "I don't know. He usually _does_ live here, at least some of the time." She gestured towards an alcove with a bed in it. "But he just disappeared one day."

"_Disappeared_?" asked Nico, his brow furrowing. "When?"

She looked thoughtful. "A week ago?"

"And you didn't tell anyone?" said Will.

Melancholy blinked. "But I did. When he'd been gone for three – did you say his _sister_? Is she missing too?"

Will nodded. "Yeah… You really didn't know that?" He narrowed his eyes.

"I didn't."

Nico watched her carefully. He didn't think she was lying. "Who did you tell when you realised he was gone?"

"His mother, of course," she said. She raised her head, angry. "_I_ reported it – and you two come here to accuse me?"

"Um – not accuse, no – er – um –" said Will, flustered "– rather, uh, to try and, um –"

"Yes," said Nico. "We did." He looked a little embarrassed.

"Who sent you?"

"Psyche."

"Psyche sent you after _me_?" Melancholy looked really hurt. "She thought it was me? Why would she do that?"

"Well, um, no…" said Will, flushing. He was starting to think that he'd interpreted his dad's advice really badly. "She didn't really tell us anything apart from that Joy and Youth and disappeared, and that we had to find them again. We came up with the rest. We didn't know that he was normally here. Uh. We – I – guessed that you and Joy would have been enemies, or something. Sorry."

Melancholy shook her head. "You were mistaken."

Will looked down at the ground. He heard Nico say something, but he wasn't paying attention. He'd been so _certain_. But now he looked at it, the whole thing seemed to unravel. He'd based it all on _what_? A cryptic phrase from his dad, and then a couple of lines from the first thing he properly looked at? That was all. His grand plan. Didn't look quite so grand anymore. His first quest and he'd completely buggered it up.

He barely noticed as Nico took him by the hand and led him out of the temple and down the stairs; it was only the sudden darkness of the bottom of the ravine that shocked him back to his senses. Will broke apart from Nico and lashed out with a foot at a boulder. "How could I have been so stupid?" he growled. He winced, and rubbed his toes. "Ow…"

"Will –" began Nico, going towards him.

Turning away, Will flopped to the ground, burying his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, Nico," he moaned. "I've wasted so much time in this. Time we could have used better – time we – _you_ – don't have – time –" He pummelled the dirt futilely with his hands. "I'm such a fool."

Nico sat down next to him. "Hey." He put his arm around him. "I thought it was right too, so I'm as much of a fool as you. So that makes two of us."

"Does that make us about the same level as a normal person, or twice as stupid?"

"No comment," said Nico.

Will gave a weak smile at that, and then dropped his eyes again. "I don't know what to do now, Nico."

"Well, it's not all on you, you know. You're not actually responsible for everything that happens."

Will didn't say anything, but he seemed to be being silent in a less self-pitying way.

"Besides, it wasn't that bad an idea. It certainly _feels_ like they should be antagonistic. We weren't to know. We simply weren't told that. Even Chiron agreed." Nico frowned. "We weren't really told anything. Come to think of it, why didn't Psyche stick around to tell us how she knew that they were gone? To tell us who told her? Where they'd disappeared from?"

"All good questions…" muttered Will, lifting his head. He sighed. "Ones we should have asked."

"Who would we have asked?" said Nico. "It's not like the gods were being very forward with information. In fact, Psyche didn't even seem that concerned about them. Which was odd."

"I'm sure she was upset," said Will. "But, I mean, she's a goddess. She wasn't going to show us how upset she was."

"Maybe." Nico couldn't help feeling unconvinced. "But, I suppose that there was some good of it."

"What?" asked Will. "I don't get it. How was this anything other than a complete waste –"

"Hey, hey, leave off with the moping for a minute or two, OK? One: we know it isn't Melancholy. I mean, she could have been lying to us, but I don't think so."

Will grunted, not much mollified.

"_And_, two: while you were staring at your shoes, Melancholy and I had a little chat about where Joy usually goes when he's not in the Temple; Youth, too."

"So you've got an idea where to go next?" asked Will.

Nico nodded. "Provided you've got over your bruised ego?"

Will bit his lip. "It _is_ a little sore, still." He fluttered his eyelashes. "Would you kiss it better?"

Nico laughed and slipped his arm through Will's. "I'm not sure I know where to start."

"Oh, anywhere will do," said Will airily.

Nico snorted, and then kissed Will on the mouth. As he did so, he tugged the pair of them into the shadows.

* * *

**TBC. (Again...)**

**Hi all - and thanks for reading, and especially reviewing!**


	18. Will has an Image Problem

**Will has an Image Problem**

* * *

There was a glade, and a pool of water. Judging by the sound, there was a little waterfall some way off. Flowers bobbed by the water's edge. It was all really very pretty.

"Where are we?" asked Will.

"Artemis' forest."

"I thought men weren't allowed in here? Or, if I recall, very bad things happen to them."

"Not always. Besides, I think you and I are probably exempt."

"Isn't that really misogynist?" asked Will.

"What?" Nico frowned. "Will, do you understand what misogynist means?"

"No, I don't mean about men not being allowed – well, I suppose I _do_ mean that, because it's all connected – but how can it be right that only _women_ are held to a standard of virginity?"

Nico thought. "Yeah. I guess it is. The Greeks _were_. But, I'm afraid fixing that is a problem for another day."

"Something to think about, though?" said Will.

"I'll add it to the list. Now, there must be some fruit or something around here. I'll go and have a look. You check by the water." Nico grinned. "See if you can tickle a trout!"

Will opened his mouth to call after him, but Nico had already vanished into the trees. Tickle a trout? What was that supposed to mean? He sighed, and walked towards the pool. It was crystal clear – from this angle he could see lots of sleek fish swimming about in it. On the surface of the water, his reflection shimmered. He glanced at it, and then looked away. Well, there were certainly fish, but what was he to catch them with?

He caught sight of his reflection again, and tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. Again, _tickle_ a trout? _Were_ there even any trout in there? He peered in. What did trout actually look like? He racked his brains. He had no idea. Was it kind-of like a salmon?

"What do you think?" he said aloud, raising an eyebrow at his reflection. It said nothing, looking at him quizzically. Will shook himself (so did water-Will). Why was he talking to his reflection?

Will considered for a moment, and, after checking that Nico wasn't hiding nearby to mock him, got down onto his stomach. He stretched put on the ground, shuffling forwards so that his head was over the water. As he looked straight down into his image, his nose was only an inch or so –

A little way off, a fish broke the surface of the water, sending out little ripples, which were just enough to wet Will's nose. He tipped his head back in surprise, and wiped the water away. As he looked back into the water, he stared straight into his reflected eyes. They were really very blue, he thought. Around them, the ripples lessened, and the rest of his face settled back into the still image.

'Tickle a trout'. Right. Rolling up his sleeve, and feeling really, really stupid, he put his right arm into the water. It was cold. Not unpleasantly so, though. He kept it very still, waiting for the fish to get used to it in the water. It was hard to tell how close they were to him, for his reflection kept getting in the way. It seemed to be getting – somehow – thicker on the surface of the water. More opaque. He studied his face. He grimaced. Had he had those spots long? He was willing to bet that it had been the cooked breakfast – that always made his chin greasy. Had Nico noticed? He blushed. Had _Melancholy_ noticed? A goddess.

He had redeeming features, though, right? He cast his eyes over the reflection. Right? Yes, his nose was crooked – the break a result of a bow snapping years earlier – and his teeth were slightly too large for his mouth, but, apart from that he was OK. OK?

Although… His eyes were too close together, and not level, and had dark circles, and – what kind of blue was _that _meant to be? – his ears were too big, his eyebrows too short, his cheeks too chubby, the wisps around his chin (not quite ready to shave yet) were _so_ messy, and, on the whole, he looked a bit –

After a brief moment of disorientation, Will found himself frowning up at a blue sky, marred only by a couple of puffy clouds. Then Nico's head popped into view.

"Will!"

"Huh?" Will brought his hand to his face. It dripped on him. Why?

"You were just staring into the water."

"I was?" Will's brow furrowed. "Oh. I was trying to catch a fish. Like you said. Only…" He bit his lip. "I got distracted."

Nico smirked. "By your own vanity? Obsessing over your own perfection?"

Will's lip quivered. "Quite the opposite. I never realised quite how _im_perfect I was."

"You think?" said Nico, raising his eyebrows.

"I just – the longer I looked the worse I – uh – looked."

"So you thought you were pretty handsome before? Narcissist."

"No, no – I mean, it was just – I don't know. It seemed like a big deal when I was looking into the water, but now…" Will shrugged. "It was just a lot of things I'd never paid much attention to before."

"Hey, well, nobody's perfect." Nico stuck out his tongue. "Not even me."

"Too true," grinned Will. "_Ow!_"

Nico punched him on the arm again. Then he bent down and kissed him.

"Mixed messages?" complained Will.

"I like you just the way you are. Warts and all."

"I don't have warts!"

"It's just a saying, Sunshine … but, even if you did – I'd at least _consider_ not dumping you."

Now it was Nico's turn to be punched. "That's a medical condition, Nico, don't –"

"Gods, Will," laughed Nico, "it was a _joke_." He raised an eyebrow. "Do I make them that infrequently?"

Will's brow furrowed. "Was the trout thing a joke too?"

Nico blinked. "Trout-tickling? No, _that_ was a real suggestion." He pecked Will on the forehead and ducked out of view. "Here."

Will twisted round onto his knees. Nico had his arm in the water, and his eyes clamped shut.

"Nico…?"

Nico held up a fish and opened his eyes. "See? It sends them into a relaxed state."

Will eyed the fish. It did seem very relaxed. "Right. OK. Um." He grimaced. "What are you going to do with that now?"

"Put it back," said Nico, flinging the fish into the water. Wrinkling his nose, he washed his hand in the lake, and then wiped it on the grass.

"But what about something to eat?" Will's stomach rumbled. "I'm hungry…"

Nico rolled his eyes. "You've just been pampered into three magically-appearing meals a day, haven't you?"

"Uh – yeah?"

"Well, I picked some fruit." Nico pointed to where there rucksacks were. Next to them rested a pair of brown paper bags. With a yellow logo.

Will looked at Nico, mock-disgusted. "Really? _That_ kind of fruit?"

"If you're lucky, it might have a plastic toy." Nico got up and wandered over to them.

Will followed. "I thought you only got them for the dead?"

Nico shrugged. "Not always. Just a treat, you know? After a disappointing day."

"True," mused Will. He opened the bag. He had to admit, it did smell nice. Tasted nice, too. He could hardly remember the last time he'd had one. Before the war. Maybe even before the last one.

Nico grinned. "Well, you ate that like you quite liked it!"

"I do like them!" said Will. "I like them rather a lot." He went quite red. "When I was a kid I liked them a bit _too_ much…"

Nico smirked. "Were you an adorably chubby child?"

Will grimaced. "I suspect I was an unhealthily _fat_ child…"

Nico laughed. "I knew all that health-nut stuff was a response to repressed childhood guilt." He leaned forwards. "Got any embarrassing photos?"

Will held his gaze levelly. "Unfortunately not."

"Why do I get the impression that you're lying…?" said Nico.

"Shouldn't we be getting back to this Quest?" asked Will.

"Yes – but you're not getting away that easily! I won't forget." Nico pulled out a notepad. "Now, I brought us here in the hope that we might meet one of the minor gods that like to hang out here. They tend to be pretty helpful – fewer vested interests than most of the main set."

"We're not looking for Artemis?" asked Will.

Nico shook his head stiffly. "No."

Will didn't press him on it. "Are they here often, then?"

"From time to time. We'd just better hope –"

"Hi, guys."

Will and Nico turned to see a tall, slim man. Light brown hair, a pointed chin – oddly, slightly uneven teeth, but they just seemed to make everything somehow better.

At this point, Will's brain stopped cataloguing the individual features of the man and just decided that it had never seen anyone quite so attractive.

A bit ashamed of himself, he gripped Nico's hand. To his surprise, it was rather slack. Glancing across at his boyfriend, he saw that his jaw was, too. And his eyes were kind-of glazed.

He squeezed Nico's hand quite hard. With a start, and going pink to the tips of his ears, Nico looked around at Will, trying to surreptitiously wipe his chin on the back of his hand. Will blushed, too. This guy was really something else…

"You recall how I said that nobody's perfect?" murmured Nico.

"Uh-huh…?"

"You know I'm a total liar, right?"

* * *

**The gods do tend to sneak up on those two, don't they? More soon.**

**Reviews very welcome!**


	19. Saving Gods and Going Home

**Really sorry - I just couldn't work out how to tie this little arc together. And then I forgot that I hadn't finished it, and then other things got in the way. But, here we are.**

* * *

**Saving Gods and Going Home**

* * *

The man – the god – coughed. He blushed a little. "Sorry, guys, it's kind-of an occupational hazard…" He smiled wryly. "Zeus would never have abducted me, otherwise!"

"What is it with gods and abductions?" cried Will. He nudged Nico. "And _demigods_."

"Tell me about it…" sighed Ganymede. "They think that, just because they're all-powerful, and can make you immortal, they can do whatever they want." He looked wistful. "I had a boyfriend, you know. Before –"

"Er… Yeah. So … was there something?" asked Nico, seeking to head off what he sensed was going to be a godly bout of self-pity. Ganymede seemed earnest enough, but something about him gave Nico the distinct impression that he wasn't the brightest resident of Olympus.

"Well, I've had my eye on you two, and this little quest of yours does not appear to be going that brilliantly."

"No," said Will. He frowned. "Having your eye on us in _what way_?"

"Oh, you see, I kind-of appointed myself the unofficial god of same-sex lovers." He grinned.

Neither of them found this particularly reassuring. "And…?" prompted Nico.

"You bicker. A lot."

The two of them exchanged glances and shrugged. "Yeah."

"It's cute."

Another shrug. Another "Yeah…?"

Ganymede frowned. "What? Oh, um. That was it, I think."

"Right…" said Nico, wondering if it would be rude to just shadow-travel away. Probably. But no shadows nearby either. Shame.

"So," chirped Will, "we're looking for Psyche's children. Have you seen them around?"

Ganymede stared at them. Nico stared back. Gods he was pretty… Nico shook himself out of it again. "_Have_ you got any information that might help us?"

Ganymede nodded. (The way his hair caught the light – it was just – _Will!_) "I've got co-ordinates. 41 North, 73 East."

Nico blinked. "How does that help?" He looked across at Will, who had inexplicably gone very red.

Ganymede raised his eyebrows. (Perfectly shaped things.) "It tells you exactly where you need to go."

Will narrowed his eyes. "How do _you_ know that?"

Ganymede held up his hands. "You wanted help. That's why you came here – now, when I give you help, you're all suspicious!"

Now it was Nico's turn to narrow his eyes. "Yes. We are."

The god shrugged. (Nico shivered. _How_ was this guy so, so – His 1940s brain refused to think the word.) "Fine. I'm Zeus' cup-bearer. People don't notice when I'm around. I hear things."

"From whom?" asked Will.

Ganymede turned away. "You can't shadow-travel to co-ordinates, can you?"

Nico shook his head. "And it's not like we can use electronic gadgets either."

"Plus they make you frustrated in a really old-man type way…" murmured Will, earning himself an elbow in the ribs.

"A map would really be more useful," said Nico. "Or maybe a picture of what it looks like –"

Ganymede beamed. "Actually, do you know what? I could just take you!"

Will and Nico exchanged glances. Yep. Total airhead.

* * *

So, it turned out that Ganymede had a flying scooter. It was orange. Really _bright_ orange. Will loved it. Nico … didn't.

"I'm _not_ going on that thing!" hissed Nico, folding his arms.

"Don't argue, dear," muttered Will, pressing Nico forwards. "It's a free ride taking us exactly where we need to go."

"But – but – but –"

Will folded his own arms and then raised an eyebrow. He pouted, and then batted an eyelash.

Nico folded. "OK, OK…" He went forwards, and then stopped. "But you go first. _Dear_."

Will shrugged, and got on behind Ganymede. Nico (after battling a bizarre wave of jealousy at how close Will was to the god's perfect – _stop thinking right now_) got on behind him, resting on the raised back-plate. His arms snaked around Will's tummy. Even through his clothes, Will could tell that Nico was sweating. "Something up?" he whispered, as Ganymede started the motor.

"Fine!" said Nico, squeaking slightly. "Just –"

"Heights?" asked Will, sympathetic.

"No, not at all," said Nico. "I just don't trust this thing –"

Ganymede twisted around to grin at them. "Ready, guys?" He gave them a thumbs up. "Here we go!"

After a grumbling start, the scooter lurched into the air. Nico let out a little yelp and gripped Will tighter. For his part, Will had squeezed his eyes shut. Ganymede glanced over his shoulder and laughed. (Perfect teeth, too.) He pressed the accelerator.

"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

* * *

"_Aaany_way," burbled Ganymede, "it's been _so_ nice to finally meet you two!"

Once they were in the air, and away from Artemis' forest, he'd become a lot more talkative and flamboyant. Mostly gossiping. Neither Will nor Nico had got a word in edgeways. Though they'd been mostly focused on shutting out how fast, high, and really, really unstable the scooter was. Neither of them had opened their eyes until they were back on the ground, and now they were standing in a forest clearing. They had no idea where in the country it was.

Quite without warning, Ganymede stepped forwards and gave them both a hug. It so surprised Nico that he had no chance to back away, and was forced to accept it.

"See you, guys!" grinned the god, slipping back on the scooter. He blew them a kiss. "Good luck!"

Slightly dazed, the pair found themselves waving as he flew off.

Will frowned. "That was, um…"

"Um."

"Er. Intense."

"Yeah." Nico pulled a card out of his back pocket. "I think he, uh –"

"Gave you his number?" Will took out an identical one. "Yeah. Me too."

Nico looked at it dispassionately. "It's got 'Just in case it doesn't work out!' written on it. And then a smiley face."

"Uh-huh. Same here." Will studied it. "Do you reckon he had hundreds of these?"

"Yep." Nico hesitated. "Um. Will?"

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me?"

"I was just about to suggest that…" Will put his arms around Nico, and they kissed quite intensely for quite some time. Eventually, lips tired, they broke apart.

"I really needed that," gasped Nico. "Just to get _him_ out of my head."

Will nodded. "I know just what you mean." He let out a long breath, flicked away the card, and took a step into the clearing. "Let's get – Eww!" he squealed.

"What?" asked Nico, looking over at him. "Is something wrong?"

"I just trod on a mouldy apple," complained Will. He wiped the gunk off of his shoe on a prominent tree-root, screwing up his face. Then he stared at the tree root.

Nico frowned as Will's gaze didn't change. "Will? It's not _that_ big a deal, though, is it? As soon as we find these gods we're going to be going back to camp straight away anyway –"

"Does this place seem familiar to you, Nico?" asked Will, breaking his gaze from the ground.

Nico looked around. "Trees … plants … leaves – Nope. We could be in any woods." He laughed suddenly. "We might even be in the woods at camp!"

"Yeah," said Will. "Exactly."

"Isn't it funny how woods look alike?"

Will shook his head. "Some more than others. _This_ more than most."

"Will? You're not making sense."

"Look at this place, Nico. It's really _quite_ like the woods at camp."

"Yeah, but it _isn't_. It can't be."

Will looked at him. "Why not?"

"Because – because – because –" Nico scowled. "That would just be stupid! Right. Come on. We've got gods to save."

"But, Nico –"

"Come _on_!"

Will sighed. He was pretty sure that he was right. Then he looked up at Nico. "Hey, did you just put his card back in your pocket?"

"Maybe…" Nico blushed defensively (Will wasn't sure that that was possible to do, but, whatever…). "What? He was hot!"

* * *

And then, after all the dead ends on the quest, they found them. Hanging from a tree in a net. Reminiscent of Aphrodite and Ares. Except that gods in this case were children, and looked frozen. They certainly weren't moving.

"Hey," said Will, rushing up (hadn't he heard of booby traps, Nico thought?) and putting his sympathetic face (well, OK, it was just his face) on, and peering through the netting at the frozen bodies of Youth and Joy. "We'll get you out of here, OK?" He turned to Nico and pulled at the netting. "What do you reckon this is made of?"

Nico peered at it. It had a slight purple hue. He tapped it with the hilt of his sword. It returned a dull sound, as if it was much more solid than the thin wire appeared. Nico frowned, and then leaned forwards and licked the wire.

"Nico, what –" started Will.

"Adamantine," said Nico, sucking on his lips. He grimaced and spat on the ground. "Yeah. That's what it is."

Will didn't look convinced. "That's not a real material!"

"If you say so, _son of Apollo_." Nico rolled his eyes. "Besides, Perseus used an adamantine sword to kill Medusa. Bit overkill, I guess." He looked thoughtful. "That sword's probably still in Camp, somewhere…"

"It wouldn't do much good if we did have it. Like against like, you know?"

"I do know, Will," said Nico, rolling his eyes. "You don't get the monopoly on 'science'." He looked wistful. "I just thought it'd be cool…"

"You already have a cool sword!" said Will. He wagged a finger at Nico. "Don't get greedy." He frowned. "How do you know that your sword won't cut through this?"

Nico looked sceptical. "Because it's not the hardest thing ever…?" he ventured.

Will shrugged. "It's worth a try, though, right? It has some pretty weird properties."

Nico pursed his lips. "Maybe." He took the sword firmly in his hand and swung it at the netting. There was a clang, but nothing else. Nico peered at his sword and grunted in annoyance.

"Look!" he grumbled, thrusting it at Will (who skittered back, yelping). "It's chipped."

"Sorry…" muttered Will. He looked thoughtfully at the net. "OK. So that doesn't work." He paced around the net. "Could you shadow-travel them out?"

Nico shook his head. "They're in direct sunlight. Besides, the wires are shining."

Will looked up to where the net was hanging from a high-up tree branch. "Perhaps…" He put his head to one side. "Give me a leg-up, would you?"

"A what?" spluttered Nico.

Will looked at him, baffled. "Did they not have that in the forties? I thought, 'back in the old days', kids used to run around outside all the time." He put on his best old-man act. "_Kids today!_" (It was truly awful.)

Nico stared at Will as if he'd gone insane. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Will sighed. "Help me get up this tree. I just need a push onto the lower branches. OK?"

"Fine." Nico sniffed. "You could have just said that."

Leaning against the base of the tree, Nico supported Will's foot as Will stretched for the lowest branch. Grabbing onto it, Will hauled himself up, his face bright red with the effort. Nico grimaced at his messy hands and wiped them against the tree trunk. He looked up at Will, who was straddling the branch just above.

"What do you intend doing up there?" he asked.

Will squinted at the higher branches, where the wires twisted up to. "I want to see how this netting has been attached to the tree. Maybe we can untie it." Gripping a branch above his head, Will got carefully to his feet. Cautiously, he pulled himself onto the next branch, and then the next. Now he was a bit higher, he could feel the sway of the tree in the wind. He suddenly wondered if this had been such a good idea. He looked down at Nico, who was staring up at him with a worried look on his face.

"Take care, Will!" said Nico.

With more confidence than he actually felt, Will flashed a smile down at him. "I'm fine!" To demonstrate, he, slightly recklessly, jumped up to the next round of branches. Too recklessly. His trainer slipped on a patch of moss and sent him falling back.

"Will!" shrieked Nico, summoning all the shadows he could find –

Will's scrabbling fingers found a hole in the tree trunk and dug tightly into it. There was a sharp pain in his wrist, and it travelled all the way along his arm, but he'd stopped his fall. With a great effort, Will pushed his body forwards again, and flopped his chest and free arm over a branch. He closed his eyes and took a few unsteady breaths. He felt quite sick with the shock.

"Are you OK?" called up Nico.

Not trusting his ability to open his mouth, Will nodded. Nico probably couldn't see that. "Fine…" he croaked. He took his hand out of the gap he had found, gasping at the pain. He brought it over the branch, and, opening his eyes, examined it gingerly. The wrist was already red and swollen. He tried putting pressure on his hand –

"Aaah!" he yelped, his eyes watering. Sprained, at the very least. Maybe even broken. He healed quickly, but it would take at least a couple of hours to get full use of it. And he had, maybe, a couple of minutes? Huh.

Will looked at the end of the net. Well, maybe he could reach that from here. He stretched out his uninjured hand – Yes! He could get it! Now all he needed to do was work out how it was fastened… He prodded at it with his fingers, but couldn't unpick the knot. It was too complicated, and the wire too thin and hard. Every time he got a little purchase on it, it slipped down the branch.

He blinked. It slipped. It _slipped_. How _stupid_ was that? He laughed.

"Will? Are you sure you're OK?" called up Nico.

"Yeah, I'm good," said Will. "Get ready to catch the net, OK?"

Nico frowned up at Will in confusion. "What's the plan?"

"This!" Will prodded the loop of wire down the branch, which got narrower as it went along. Then, at the end, the branch bent, and the little knotted ring sprang off. The net dropped down, Nico just managing to guide it to the ground.

Now that it was no longer under tension, the net burst open, and Joy and Youth rolled out onto the grass. Even from here, they didn't seem to have that same enchanted stillness that they'd had before. Will still wanted to check on them, though. Make sure that everything was fine.

The only problem now was getting down. Will looked at his wrist. There was no way that this wasn't going to hurt –

For a moment, everything went black, and then he was sitting on the ground next to Nico. Confused, he looked wildly around.

"I don't know why I didn't just do that in the first place," said Nico absently. "Would have saved you a lot of effort." He was bent over one of the gods (Joy?). "How do reckon you tell if a god is OK?"

Suddenly, both of the child-gods opened their eyes. They smiled at the pair silently, and then started to glow. Nico and Will squeezed their eyes shut. When they opened them again a few minutes later, the clearing was empty, save for the adamantine netting. That was probably quite valuable.

Will got to his feet, his hand hanging limply by his side.

Nico eyed it, concerned. "You should get someone to look at that."

"I have," said Will, wry. "Me. I'm going to be fine." He started to walk, not really sure where he was going, but it distracted him from the pain.

"Still." Nico did his best impression of Will. "Go to the infirmary!"

"Yes, _doctor_…" grinned Will.

"So. First quest. A success. Feel good?"

Will smiled. "Yeah." Then he frowned. "But I wish I knew _why_ all that happened. Or even _what_ happened. I mean, where did they go? How were they captured? Why was it so _easy_?"

Nico nodded. "I know. Something about this doesn't feel right. We'll talk to Chiron when we get back to –"

The two of them blinked. They'd reached the edge of the woods. Much faster than they'd expected. And on the other side of those woods were a set of cabins. A lake. A lava climbing wall.

Will felt an 'I told you so' rising in his throat. He bit it back. Instead, he raised an eyebrow as he met Nico's eyes. "Back to camp?"

This was worryingly odd.

* * *

**Reviews are always very welcome.**


	20. How to Be a Conspiracy Theorist

**Exposition (+ fluff to help it down).**

* * *

**How to Be a Conspiracy Theorist**

* * *

"Why are you so frowny, Nick_ee_?" sang Will, swinging his right hand loosely in Nico's left. His other hand was tightly bandaged.

Nico looked at him and rolled his eyes. "I didn't think it was _possible_ to get high on ambrosia."

Will giggled. "A boy can try…"

Nico stared, not quite knowing what to say.

Then one of Will's eyebrows quirked up. "It's not," he said, his voice dropping back its normal tone, "I was just stringing you along." He nudged him. "But I do want to know. What are you thinking?"

"This quest. It was all a massive waste of time."

"We _did_ save Youth and Joy," pointed out Will.

"What from? Nothing seemed interested in guarding them. Anyone could have got them out of that net, really. They just had to stumble upon them."

"Well, in the last few days nobody did. But I take your point on the looseness of the guard. You know, it's funny, but, after our picnic, I probably would have taken you for a walk down that way, if Psyche hadn't shown up."

Nico looked thoughtful. "Really… Hmm. Oh, and, Will? 'Take you for a walk' Um. What am I? Some kind of pet?" He punched Will lightly on the arm.

"Careful! I'm injured, you know."

Nico grinned wickedly. "All that means is that I know what hurts the most…"

"Sadist."

"You should meet my brother."

Will's eyes widened. "No thanks."

They stopped at the circle of cabins. "Your place or mine?" asked Nico.

"Yours. It's closer." Will prodded Nico's backpack. "And you'd better dump this."

"What did you do with yours?" asked Nico. "We went to the infirmary, and then to Chiron, and now we're here. When did you get rid of it?" He patted his pockets and groaned. "I think I left the key inside. This happens when I shadow-travel. I'll just –"

Will put his hand into one of the green torches and pulled out a key. "Here. And I left my bag in the infirmary. I'm there a lot."

"Huh." Nico looked at the key in his hand for a moment, before putting it in the lock. "So that's how you get in." He opened the door. It was dusty inside.

Will wrinkled his nose in distaste. "I hope my cabin's not like this."

"If we're honest, this isn't much worse than it usually is. But you're such a neat-freak."

"It's called –" Will screwed up his face as he moved an unwashed plate off a bed to sit down, "being hygienic, Death Boy. Let's not make that Death-By-Food-Poisoning Boy, OK?"

"Yeah, yeah. Be healthy. Stop eating junk. Wash up. Whatever." Nico closed the door and set down on his own bed. "Now, the serious stuff: I think we were led on a wold goose chase."

"Are you saying that the whole thing was a set-up? But what for?"

"To distract us – you and me."

"From what –" Will's eyes widened suddenly. "You don't think they wanted us to stop our investigations into the gods, do you?"

Nico nodded gravely. "And by 'they', I mean all the gods."

"But we were just being curious! How much harm could it have done?"

Nico held up his hands. "Don't ask me! It was a bit of fun. But, if this is true, maybe we were hitting close to something pretty fundamental."

Will frowned. "Isn't that a bit of a conspiracy theory?"

Nico shrugged. "From what we know about the gods, I think this might be justified."

"But _all_ of them?" Will's lip wobbled. "Even my dad?"

"I'm afraid so – he gave us a false prophecy, remember. The 'Ode on Melancholy'?"

Nico almost couldn't bear how hurt Will looked. He went towards him, intending to give him a hug –

"No!" burst out Will, suddenly standing up.

"Will," started Nico, "I know it might be uncomfortable, but we've got to consider –"

Will shook his head, a grin returning to his face. (Frankly, it had only been gone for about thirty seconds.) "That's not what I mean. My dad didn't lie."

"Will –"

Will sprang over to Nico's bookshelf. (It was cool – it was actually connected to the library in the Underworld. Will was very, very jealous.) "Remember? The Keats wasn't the first thing I picked up." He pulled out a little book: " 'And the end of our exploring / Will be to arrive where we started / And know it for the first time.' And that's what we did. Dad wasn't talking about Keats, he was talking about _Eliot_." He beamed.

Nico sucked his teeth. "Fine. Maybe Apollo wasn't in on it. Though I'm not totally ruling it out. Nor does this disprove the whole conspiracy." He smiled wryly. "Though, of course, the point of a conspiracy is that you can never disprove it…"

Will looked thoughtful. "I don't disagree about there being some kind of effort to deceive us. I'm just not sure that it's universal. I'm going to stick by my dad, and say that Apollo wasn't in on it. Nor, I think, was Melancholy. She seemed genuinely surprised by the disappearance of Joy and Youth. And Ganymede – _Nico_! Stop daydreaming… – Ganymede definitely wasn't, or he wouldn't have taken us right to them."

"Yeah," said Nico, thoughtful. "I was just thinking –"

"I know what you were thinking…" murmured Will, with a half-smile.

"I was just _thinking_," repeated Nico, "of how Ganymede didn't want to tell us _how_ he found out where the two kids were. So he knows who knows about it."

"Mmm." Will hesitated. "And Psyche? Do you reckon she was part of it?"

Nico bit his lip. "I don't want to say 'yes'…" He looked at his feet. "But I can't honestly say 'no', either. She hardly told us anything, nor seemed in any way concerned about her lost children. Maybe she just had confidence in us, or that they were immortal anyway, or – I don't know. But, you know? It doesn't feel right."

Will nodded. "Yeah. And especially given how close we actually were to them when she turned up."

"Mmm." Nico sighed. "I don't like this. We're being manipulated. I'm sure of it." He looked hopefully at Will. "Got some cheery explanation why I'm being a paranoid idiot?"

Will smiled sadly. "You're not just _being_ one, you _are_ a paranoid idiot. But so am I, then, because I can't shake that feeling either. I think it's a group within the gods, though, not all of them." He frowned. "Do you think even Chiron is involved?"

"We can't know anything for sure."

"But he wouldn't put campers in danger, right?"

Nico didn't look fully convinced, but his expression softened. "I'd like to think not. However far it extends, though," he said, "we've got to find a way to break into it, or at least get information on it."

"Who are our weak links, then?"

"My dad?" suggested Will. "He definitely knows something. Plus, he did try to help us."

Nico wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, but I can't see him wanting to take too much of a risk. He's in enough trouble at the moment as it is." He looked over at Will. "I'd definitely try to ask him, but I don't think we'd get very far."

"Yeah, I guess. Any of the other gods? _Your_ dad?"

"We don't know who is or isn't involved. I mean, Hades isn't normally involved in Olympian stuff, even after his rehabilitation within the gods, but he _does_ know that we've been poking around at understanding their powers." Nico shrugged. "He could be. I hope not, but he could be."

"You could always ask. He's always been pretty open with you." Will watched Nico bob his head from side to side. He didn't press the issue. "I think there's definitely one that we can try to tap, though."

Nico glanced at him. "Yeah. I wondered when we'd get to Ganymede."

"He's the only one that we know _isn't_ part of it."

"I know, I know, but…"

Will raised an eyebrow. "_You_ were the one who kept his number. Which is the other reason he's a good bet – we know how to get in contact with him."

"Yeah. But ever since then, I just feel really uneasy about going to talk to him again. He's too… I don't know…" Nico shivered. "He seemed friendly, but, it just seemed a bit – seductive, you know?"

"Well, he did practically ask each of us out. Knowing that we were a couple. But, Nico, you can show a little bit of self-control, right?" Will squeezed Nico shoulder. "_Try_ not to elope with him?" He batted his eyelashes. "For me?"

Nico sighed. "I'll try…" He looked up a Will, his gaze sharpening. "So, we tap out a few lines of questioning. But, until we find anything specific, we just act normal around everyone else, OK?"

"That's a sure-fire way for you to make everyone suspicious…" muttered Will. "Ah! Ah! Nico! Please! _Stop!_"

Nico let go of Will's hand and sat back on the bed. "Told you I knew how to hurt you –"

_Knock. Knock._

'Who's there?' mouthed Will at Nico, who fell into silent giggles.

"Hey, you two!"

"Jason?" called out Nico. "What do you want?" He mouthed 'act normal' to Will, who rolled his eyes.

"Can I come in?" asked Jason. "Um. You are, you know, _decent_…"

Nico shook his head in exasperation, stepped over to the door and flung it open. "Yes! Look!"

Jason blushed, "Yeah, well, you can't be too careful."

"You wanted something?" said Nico, tapping his foot.

"You just got back from a quest. There's a camp fire in your honour. You might be late."

"Are there even enough people in Camp to hold one?" asked Will, getting to his feet.

Jason shrugged. "There're always enough." He grinned. "And, this way, we get more marshmallows!"

Will smiled. "True." He looped his arm through Nico's. "Shall we?"

Jason turned to lead them out of the cabin.

"Oh, Jason?" said Nico.

Jason turned back. "Uh-huh?"

"I don't know about Will, but I, with my warped time-disjointed underworldy sense of propriety, would have considered us 'decent' even when wearing nothing at all." He winked. "So watch out." He pulled Will (whose face was burning red) past a startled Jason and out of the door. "Camp fire time!"


	21. Seeing Other People

**Seeing Other People**

* * *

"You know what, Solace?" spat Nico, "I don't even care what your excuse is. Just leave me alone!"

"_Me_ leave _you_ alone? _That_ would make a change!"

"And what's that meant to mean?"

"You. Shadow-travelling here, there, and everywhere, leaving me with no moment's peace. I could be sitting somewhere, nice and quiet, on my own, and then, there you are: '_Wiiiiill_, I've hurt my finger.' '_Wiiiiiill_, I've got a runny nose.' '_Wiiiiiill_, I'm bored.' It's so annoying. You're just so needy. It's pathetic!"

"_I'm_ the pathetic one? Who's at my door morning, noon, and night? 'Come to breakfast with me, Death Boy.' 'Help me with a patient, Death Boy.' 'Can I have a good-night kiss, Death Boy?' And you _know_ I don't like that nickname. My name is Nico. Use it."

"Well - well - at least I don't view the modern world as if it's some kind of Rubik's Cube."

"What in the gods' names is a 'Rubik's Cube'? I think you make half of these references up!"

"If you ever bothered to _learn_ about the 21st century, instead of just falling back into your comfort-blanket of 'I'm from the '40s', then you'd know. Hazel's much more up-to-speed."

"I don't need to know all your - all your _junk_. As far as I can see, stuffing your head with it has done you no good at all. Just squeezed out the room for any actual thoughts."

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"If you weren't, you wouldn't have to ask. You'd know that you were."

Will frowned. "Um, really? Does that make sense?"

Nico refused to consider conceding the point. "Yes. It does. You just don't understand. Don't you get how frustrating it is, slowing everything down so you understand it?"

"If I'm that much of an annoyance, then, then I think we'd be better off apart."

"Good idea. Your first for some time, Sunshine."

"Then it's over?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"_Yeah_."

"I'll just go, then."

"You do that."

"I'll be in the Infirmary," said Will.

"I know where to avoid. Like that's any surprise - run along and play with your syringes."

"At least they're useful." Will leaned in close. "Unlike your stupid plastic dolls."

The air around Nico darkened. The grass wilted.

Will's hair, though, didn't even quiver as it blazed brightly in contrast. "I'll see you around," he said, turning on his heel and stalking away towards the Big House.

"Hopefully not!" called Nico after him. He turned to go back to his cabin, and noticed the small crowd of satyrs, campers, and nymphs. "What are you all looking at?" he growled.

No reply.

The ground trembled. All the onlookers rushed off to whatever thing they really, really had to get on with.

* * *

"Nico and Will - it's over! Who'd have thought _that_, eh?" said Jason, on an IM to Annabeth.

Annabeth winced. "I hope nothing bad comes of this…"

"Nico's stable now. He'll be fine."

"Maybe it's not Nico that we should be worried about."

"Will? But Will's so laid-back."

"Exactly. Nothing's and no-one's ever really upset him before. We'd better hope he doesn't dp anything stupid."

"What could he do?"

"Who knows? But I'm sure that a self-destructive Will would not be a pretty sight."

* * *

As it turned out, a self-destructive Will was a very pretty sight indeed. In his opinion, at least.

He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled, running a comb repeatedly backwards through his hair until it resembled a golden mist. A navy t-shirt stuck close to his body, highlighting his tall, slim frame. Two chevrons - one gold, one red - pointed towards his waist, where the lowest was cut short by the belted waistband of a pair of tight black jeans.

He bent down to check the knot of his laces, before grinning at his reflection and sauntering out of the cabin. Will was careful to avoid Cabin 13 as he headed towards the woods, fingering the little card in his pocket that he'd lifted from Nico's desk. It was only a short walk through the darkness to a clearing.

There was an orange scooter in it.

"You called?" asked Ganymede, leaning against a tree. His eyes flicked up and down Will's body.

"Yeah." Will stepped forwards and kissed him. "It didn't work out."

* * *

Hades frowned at his son's bedroom door. There were two large cracks at the hinges. That explained the slam that had echoed halfway to Elysium.

He raised his hand to the door to knock - and hesitated. It had been a long time since he'd confronted a moody teenager. He glanced at the armed skeletons nearby. No. He wasn't afraid of his son's temper. He was Lord of the Underworld.

He knocked.

A series of swear-words in a number of languages bounced back. Hades shook his head. What did they learn at that camp?

Hades pushed open the door. It creaked alarmingly, and then broke off at the top hinge. Now it slanted away from the door frame.

Inside, Nico's bedroom was rather devastated. The remains of several skeletons, too shattered to knit themselves together, littered the floor. A severed skull, with a blonde wig, rolled around to one side, a sword shoved into its eye socket.

The bed, once neatly made, was now reduced to a cocoon of black duvet, from underneath which sobs and curses flowed alternately.

"Nico…?" ventured Hades.

"Go away."

"No."

Nico stuck his head out from beneath the covers. His eyes were puffily red and his cheeks streaked with tears. He glared at his father. "Yes."

"I'm not leaving, Nico. Tell me what's wrong."

Nico made a few remarks in Latin. All of them obscene (if grammatically accurate). "Will," he spat, eventually.

"I thought it might be the boy…"

Nico buried his head in Hades' robe. The souls of the dead let out a moan of anguish: now they were going to have to be dry-cleaned.

"Don't be angry with him, Dad. _I_ screwed this up. I -"

And that was how a conversation began that locked Hades into more father-son bonding than he'd done with any of his other children. Put together, probably…

* * *

"Can this thing go faster?" yelled Will, clinging on to Ganymede's back.

"You bet!" he shouted. "Only the other week, I was making a delivery when I accidentally came across Ares talking to Zeus and Demeter. Ares gave me such a look that I just put my foot down. I was halfway to Mexico even before I got my breath back." He twisted round to grin at Will. "Watch this!"

The scooter reared up and streaked across the sky. It was so fast that they almost seemed to be catching up to the setting sun.

Will would have pulled a face, had his head not been knocked back by the acceleration. His dad would not like any kind of competition.

* * *

In the Underworld, the queues for judgement started to back-up. Nico started on a second box of tissues.

* * *

Will hopped up onto the log. "Hi."

Nico looked at him sideways. "Hi." His lip twitched up. "It worked, then?"

Will grinned and took a notebook from his pocket. "He told me everything he knew. It turns out that he likes to show off about what he knows."

Nico kissed him. "You're such a good actor, you know."

"As are you." Will kissed Nico back, poking his tongue into Nico's mouth. They broke apart, slightly flushed. Will nudged Nico. "How did father-son bonding time go?"

Nico produced a notebook similar to Will's. "Very well indeed." He grinned. Then he grimaced. "Why we're happy about this, I don't know. It turns out that we've annoyed a fairly sizeable number of the gods with our investigations."

"Yeah… Not good." Will suddenly winced and ran a thumb around his waistband.

"What's wrong?"

"These jeans are _far_ too tight…" With a flick of his hand, he undid the belt. "I think I've just about cut off all the circulation past my knees."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Well, you did insist on wearing my jeans."

"They were the ones I thought … the most attractive."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

Nico looked icily at Will. "Are you saying that I dress … provocatively?"

Will bit his lip and looked away, his cheeks burning red.

Nico smiled. "Good. It works."

Will snapped his head around. He couldn't judge Nico's expression. He had no idea if he was joking or not. He shook his head and stood up. "Fine. Whatever." He looked a bit guilty. "Do you think we should have done that?"

"Done what?"

"Led everyone on like that. Ganymede looked so hurt when I told him that we weren't the right fit for each other."

"He'll perk up in no time, and be off chasing someone else by tomorrow night." Nico shrugged. "We needed to know what he knew." He narrowed his eyes at Will. "Did you enjoy it?"

"No!"

Nico raised a sceptical eyebrow. "I would have done…"

Will blushed. "I suppose… He _is_ very attractive." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "But..."

"But?"

"I kept looking at him, and all I could see was you."

Nico snorted. "Don't make me nauseous."

Will pouted. "I mean it!" He winced again. "And now I _really_ need to take your trousers off!"

"My, we should break up more often…"

At a loss for words, Will turned away from his boyfriend (and his suddenly very wiggly eyebrows) and hobbled towards his cabin.

* * *

**Sorry it's been so long. Hopefully faster from now on.**


	22. Comparing Notes

**Comparing Notes**

* * *

"Maybe you should eat less."

"Oh, I'm going to be taking advice from you now, am I?"

"Well, if you're going to pop the button off _my_ jeans, then, uh, yeah."

Will scowled and tied the drawstring of his pyjama trousers. "It's because you don't eat _enough_ that you've got tiny trousers."

He plopped down onto the bed, next to Nico, who was stretched out, his head poking over the end, and studying the notebook in his hands.

"So, shall we compare notes?"

Will buried his head into the pillow at the other end of the bed. "Do we have to? I'm tired…"

"Worn out by your date?" Nico grinned. "Fine. Go to sleep, then."

"Thank you…" murmured Will.

Nico waited a moment or two before tickling his boyfriend's feet.

With a howl that he desperately tried to mask (It was way, way past lights-out; also, he didn't want Nico to make fun of him - _more_), Will leapt off the bed, glaring at Nico.

Nico laughed, then patted the space next to him. "Come on, girly."

Sighing, Will picked up his own notes and lay alongside Nico. "I still don't see why this has to be done now," he grumbled.

"Because I say it does," said Nico, looking over his shoulder at Will. "Does there need to be another reason?"

"No," muttered Will.

"So, if we count up the lists of gods from both sides that we know don't like us - then that seems like quite an unlikely combination of gods," said Nico.

"I didn't think we'd done anything that provocative!"

Nico shrugged. "Zeus tried to kill me just for being alive. You don't have to do much."

"But Zeus isn't in on this one."

"Doesn't look like it. Dad talked about how they both thought we were doing something futile, but academically interesting."

"Zeus never struck me as that academic," mused Will.

"And I reckon that Athena's disappointed that one of _her_ kids hasn't had the same idea."

"So Ganymede said. Apparently she's been sending IM messages to them all over the country, telling them to stop slacking off. I don't think we'll be very popular with them when they come back."

"It's kind-of like we're that kid who does extra homework in order to please the teacher. Except we intended to annoy the teacher."

"And we _have_. Just not all of them -" Nico hesitated. "I'm not sure that the analogy can be stretched very far. But all the rest of _these_ -" Nico circled a few names with his fingers "- know, or might know, and don't want us to know, or might not want us to know. What do you think, Will? Will?"

But Will was asleep. Nico watched him for a few moments, wondering whether to force him awake. Then he caught himself yawning.

Fine. This could wait. He dropped the notebook and pencil onto the desk, and, pulling the blanket over them, snuggled into the pillow with him. Will was so warm…

* * *

When Nico woke up, he was greeted by the light of an angle-poise lamp. Shielding his eyes, he squinted into the glare. A blurry silhouette looked around at him. Nico rubbed his eyes.

"Morning," said Will.

Nico yawned, his eyes re-focusing. "Morning." He lifted his head off the pillow (which was dotted with longish blonde hairs) and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I was going over these notebooks. I can't say that I was fully-functioning last night, but I've been combining information. Look." Will thrust a piece of paper with a series of lists on it at Nico. He pointed to each in turn. "Those who definitely know about whatever it is we shouldn't know. Those who want to stop us finding out. Those who want us to find out. Those who don't care. Those who don't know anything. And those that we don't know what they know."

Nico opened and closed his mouth a few times. His throat was dry, like he'd been sleeping with his mouth open. He hoped he hadn't been snoring much. "Um. Now _I'm_ not at full power. Can you go over this more slowly? And with slightly less enthusiasm…" He frowned. "Although I reckon I _did_ say something like it last night."

Will pushed his hair back from his face. "It's sort-of simple. Ish. Let's set aside the more minor deities for a moment. All of the thirteen major gods and goddesses know something that we don't. this is what they were discussing in the closed session of the Solstice."

"OK."

"Now, of those, Zeus, Hades, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, and Artemis are unconcerned about us pursuing whatever it is."

"Looks like it."

"Ares, Aphrodite, Hera, Hermes, and Hephaestus don't want us to find it out."

"Uh-huh." Nico rubbed his eyes again. He felt his brain booting up.

"Poseidon and Mr D. are our unknown factors. Neither Ganymede nor Hades let slip anything about their attitudes towards us."

Nico nodded slowly. "If Mr D. had wanted to stop us, though, I reckon he could have done. He is right here, after all. But, then again, he is _also_ pretty lazy."

"And somewhat limited in his powers," pointed out Will. "Maybe he really is indifferent to us. But he can stay in the '?' column."

"As for Poseidon…"

"Who knows? He's the hardest of the gods to track down."

"Hmm." Nico got out of bed to squish onto the chair with Will. He peered at Will's notes. "And the minor gods?"

"They vary between the two positions. It might be to do with Olympian power relations. It's hard to see a pattern in their behaviour. And there are just so many of them!"

Nico nodded. He tapped the page with a pencil. "But what's the pattern in these two groups in the major gods? Why _these_ gods in _these_ groups?"

Will sighed. "I don't know. I can only hope it becomes clear." He suddenly felt quite hungry. Judging by the little rumble from Nico, so did he. "Shall we pause until after breakfast?"

* * *

"So, you two are back together already?"

"Yeah," said Nico, his voice flat. "I tried hard, but I just couldn't bear even a single night without having sex with Will."

Will bit his lip in order to stop himself from laughing at Jason's face. His mouth hung open, as round as his glasses, with a slice of toast hanging limply in his hand. He seemed on the verge of speaking several times, but the words seemed to keep catching in his throat. Most alarmingly, he was going purple. "Yeah," said Will, forcing his mouth into a straight line, "Nico's always had trouble sleeping."

"It really helps me if I'm tired out," agreed Nico.

"Not to mention the good that exercise does you," Will said, po-faced. He wondered if he should stop Jason from bursting a blood vessel -

Nico broke down into a fit of laughter.

"Oh, Nico!" grinned Will. "You broke so soon. I thought we'd keep it going longer than that!"

Nico glanced sideways at him. "You're always over-optimistic on _that_ score…"

_Thump._

The pair of them watched as Jason pressed his head into the table. "I don't." _Thump. "_Want." _Thump._ "To know."

_Thump._

"Know what, Jason?" asked Nico, his face a picture of innocence.

"Mmm. And don't do that, Jason," said Will. "You'll hurt yourself. And you've not got the brain cells to lose."

"And that's a medical opinion, Jason, not an insult," said Nico.

Jason lifted his head from the table, dead-eyed. "Is there a point to all this…?"

"Oh, no," said Will. "Just fun."

"You're easy to wind up," said Nico. "None of it's true."

Jason scowled. "He's having a bad effect on you, Will."

"Is there a reason that you're at this table, Jason?" asked Nico, dipping a soldier of toast into Will's perfectly boiled egg.

"Yeah, well, I had a dream."

"But you've come to the conclusion that all movements have within themselves the seeds of their own destruction, for, in achieving one goal, they only expose more problems, thus creating fatigue among its supporters as it seems, as it is in truth, that problems are not resolved in a single, message-on-a-t-shirt, moment, but rather require constant combatting of deep-rooted issues over years in order to fundamentally change public opinion."

Both Nico and Jason stared at Will. Will blushed. "Sorry. I've been thinking about starting an LGBTQ group at camp. I did some reading."

"Oh. Good idea," said Jason. "I bet Chiron will be happy to go for it."

"The dream?" prompted Nico, pressing his fingers to his temples.

"It was more of a message. From my dad. He said to tell Will: '_Hands off. Or else.'_" Jason frowned. "Does that make any sense to you?"

Nico jabbed Will, who had gone crimson, in the side. "You never mentioned 'hands'!"

"What? No!"

Jason's eyes slid from one to the other. "Have I missed something?"

"No!" insisted Will.

"Yes," said Nico, equally as earnest.

Jason adjusted his glasses. "You know, I'm not surprised that you broke up and immediately went back to each other. Your relationship is built on bickering. That shouting match you had just made you even keener on each other. You love to disagree."

"Is that a bad thing?" asked Will. "It means that every argument we have makes us a stronger couple."

Jason shook his head. "It's just weird, that's all. And at least we know that when you two get all lovey-dovey, that's when you're _really_ going to end it."

Nico looked across at Will. "Yeah. I guess so." His brow furrowed. "So, how did this dream come to you?"

"A kind-of disembodied voice. '_Jason. Tell Will… _And, then, you know, what I said."

"As abrupt as that? No images?" probed Nico.

"Nope. Totally dark. He seemed a bit annoyed with Will." Jason narrowed his eyes at Will, who tried to hide behind a glass of orange juice. "What did you do?"

Not blinking, Will stared Jason down as he drained his juice in one go. Jason waited until he was done, but he didn't get an answer. Jason fidgeted. He wanted to _know_!

Will smiled. A frustrated Jason was a funny Jason. He glanced upwards. And a jealous (hypocritical…) Zeus was a dangerous one. Though he was always pretty dangerous. And then there was whatever Nico had said to Hades to get his sympathy -

He jumped as he felt something curl around his ankle. Nico looked at him, surprised, and Will realised that it was only Nico's foot. Will smiled weakly. "I was just thinking about your dad, and, um -"

Nico bit his lip. "Ah. I'm sure he'll be fine. You'll be fine. Yeah. Er. I suppose. Um. He'd have done something by - I reckon, anyway. Or. Uh…" He lapsed into silence.

Will watched him nervously. "Nico?"

Nico blinked a few times. "I'll be right back."

"So," said Jason, after a pause, "now that Nico isn't here, _please_ can you tell me what went on?"

Will smiled. "Sorry, Jason." He got up. "Now, I'm going to go and sit in my cabin. With the lights on. All of them."

* * *

**Poor Will.**

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, followed, and/or favourited so far - it's always encouraging! **


	23. Under the Sea - Part I

**Under the Sea - Part I**

* * *

"I want to stress how much I think this is a really bad idea."

Nico poked him in the ribs. "Don't be such a worrier. It'll be fine!"

Will looked at him, eyes wide. "I know I call you Death Boy, but this is suicidal! You want us to go down to Poseidon's palace and hunt around for clues without him noticing and killing us."

"Yep. That's the plan. What's the issue?"

"One: how do we get there without drowning? Two: we don't know where it is. Three: he's going to find out. Four: we're going to get killed."

"Poseidon wouldn't kill us," said Nico. "He's one of the least likely gods to do that!"

"Isn't the point of this little adventure in order to find out whether he's doing anything suspicious?"

"Well… Yeah. But Percy would never forgive him if we got killed." Nico patted Will's arm reassuringly. "We'll only be having a quick poke around."

"Oh, yeah, that's something else - Five: what are we looking for? A big file saying 'Top Secret Knowledge, Make Sure Nico and Will Don't See'?"

"No! Don't be silly."

"What, then?"

"Don't know yet…" mumbled Nico. "But there'll be something!" he said, determinedly.

"And if we can't find anything? Does that put him in the clear, or will you just get more suspicious?"

Nico blushed. "Um… Maybe Option 2…"

Will sighed. "You're going to go, aren't you? Nothing I can say will change that."

Nico nodded.

"And I can't let you go on your own." Will groaned. "I hate being in love with you."

Nico grinned. "I know you do."

"So, go on, answer my first two questions: where are we going, and how are we getting there?"

"You'll love it."

Will raised an eyebrow. "I will?"

Nico nodded slowly, as if Will was very stupid. Or foreign. "Yes. You Will: I Nico." He laughed at his boyfriend's expression, and turned away. "Come on."

"Will I need to bring anything?" called Will.

"No."

"But -"

"We'll be fine. Hurry up!"

Will, taking a longing look back at his cabin - all his _stuff_! - jogged after Nico.

* * *

"Ta-dah!"

Will frowned. "You are in _way_ too good a mood, Death Boy. And, um, what is the totally-out-of-character '_ta-dah!_' for, anyway? The beach is empty."

Nico looked over his shoulder at the sea, and sighed. He tried again, this time with jazz-hands. "Ta-_dah_!"

"I still don't -" Will's jaw dropped. "Is that a - a -?"

Nico smiled delightedly. "A submarine? Uh-huh. Isn't it cool?"

Will surveyed the enormous, black, slab-sided monstrosity which had reared out of the water a dozen yards or so from the beach. How was the water deep enough for _that_?

"I wasn't going to go for _cool_. More like 'terrifying'. How did you -" Will slapped his forehead. "This is another one of your dad's massively inappropriate birthday presents, isn't it?"

"Well, it was my fifteenth birthday," said Nico, defensive.

"Makes the card and box of sweets I gave you look a bit cheap…" muttered Will.

"Well, I guess, if we're honest, Dad got this for free when it sank. So -" Nico kissed Will on the cheek. "- don't be too hard on yourself."

Will raised his eyebrows. "When it _sank_?" he repeated. "Um. Is it safe?"

"Totally. It's all patched up now. The crew did it."

"The crew?" said Will. He felt like a parrot. Well, they were about to go sailing.

"Yeah. You didn't think we were going to work that thing on our own, did you?" said Nico. He glanced out over the water. "Look - there some of them come now!"

Will followed where Nico was pointing. There was a (black) rubber dinghy coming towards them, rowed by two people. As they got closer, he realised that they were dead. He could see bit of bone beneath flesh. He groaned inwardly. All he'd got from _his_ dad on his birthday had been a silly plastic solar-powered nodding flower (which was admittedly kind-of cute and kept Nico amused for ages - which was also kind-of cute - on second thoughts, maybe Apollo wasn't such a bad dad after all…). But, he'd much rather have had that than a submarine of the damned.

Nico, though, seemed inordinately proud of his new toy. Will was not looking forward to this excursion.

* * *

Will felt pretty ill.

It wasn't sea-sickness - he never got that, and, besides, there were no waves under the water.

No. It was more the fact that he was in a windowless metal tube, staffed by the recently dead, quite a long way underwater, and with no guarantee of its seaworthiness.

Yeah. That was why he felt sick. Or, at least, that was why he couldn't make himself feel better.

He watched Nico dully. Nico seemed delighted to be on this thing. That was odd, since this was not his home turf -

"The sea is full of death, Will," said Nico.

Will stared at him. "How did you know I -?"

Nico shrugged. "I didn't. It was a lucky guess. But, by the look of your face, you clearly aren't comfortable on this submarine, and, knowing you, you'd be worried about me. Because you're obsessively self-sacrificing like that."

"Uh, I guess. Yeah." Will's eyes kept being drawn to a patch of rust on the side of their cramped cabin. "Are you _sure _this thing is safe?"

"It's _fine_, Will!" Nico wrinkled his nose. "Besides, it's pretty dark in here. Even if we start to flood - _which we won't!_ \- , we can shadow-travel out without a problem."

"What about the crew?"

"They're kind-of already dead. They died when this thing sank the first time around."

"Doesn't Ares have a claim on people that die at sea?"

"Yeah, but only if they die in war. This sank during a routine trip because someone left a torpedo tube open."

Will raised his eyebrows. "Great. So our crew is not only dead, but they brought about their own deaths."

Nico tipped his head from side to side. "I hadn't thought about it like that - but, hey, that means that they're probably not going to do it again, right?"

Will buried his head in his hands. "Really reassuring, Nico."

"I thought you liked swimming?"

Will stared at him. "I do. But _this_ isn't swimming! This is daring the sea to drown us."

"Stop being so melodramatic, Sunshine. You're perfectly safe." Nico swung over and sat on the bunk next to Will. He put his arm round him. "You've got me, haven't you?"

Will looked down into Nico's eyes. "So it would seem." His mouth twitched. "I can't get rid of you." He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, trying to force himself to relax. He blinked them open again. "Oh, and, I meant to say earlier - aren't we _sneaking up_ on Poseidon? Isn't a huge submarine going to give the game away?"

"It's a stealth sub," said Nico, patting the metal side.

"Except if people are looking at it. And he might have some kind of sentries," pointed out Will.

"Don't worry, I've thought about that. There's a midget submarine that can be launched. We'll get in that and scoot in without anyone seeing. The big submarine could be used as a distraction if we need it."

"Oh. Um. By _midget_…"

"Just you and me," grinned Nico. "It'll be fun!"

Will felt faint.

* * *

"You could have got us killed the way you were piloting that thing!" exclaimed Will, leaning, ashen-faced, against a wall. "Did you have to go _that_ close to the rocks?"

Nico grinned. "They don't call me Nico Di-Angerous for nothing!"

"Nico. Dearest. They _don't_ call you that. Nobody does."

"Well, they should." Nico crossed his arms, petulant.

Will suppressed a laugh and tried not to think about how they would have to do a return journey on the mini-sub of terror, and instead stared around at the underwater palace they seemed to be in. Well, the docking station bit they had found. It was weirdly sci-fi for the Greek gods. He felt another mild twinge of jealousy. Percy's dad had an underwater palace. Nico's dad had an underground palace. How come Apollo didn't seem to have a palace? It wasn't fair. Not that Will was particularly attached to material things. Oh no. Give him an old t-shirt, shorts, and sandals, and he'd be perfectly happy. Still. Sometimes you wondered, right?

Well, he was rather impressed with this place. It glowed light blue, like surface-water, though, as he knew from his little trip in a motorised coffin, it was pitch black outside. There was a crisp salt smell in the air, and the floor was studded with coral. In fact - Will bent down - the actually was coral, growing under a protective case. Cool.

"Come on!"

He looked up to see Nico at a door at the other end of the corridor. "There's some kind of office here," he said, pointing through it.

Well, that was lucky, thought Will. Since they had no idea how big this place was.

Bit of a coincidence? He pushed that thought to the back of his mind and hurried after Nico.

* * *

"Anything?"

"Nope," said Nico, putting aside another sheaf of letters in Greek. The blue paper was annoying. It made it hard to read the ink. Plus, he was sure Will was fantasising about getting a whole set of yellow -

"Did you hear that?" whispered Will, eyes wide.

Nico frowned. "What?"

"Footsteps."

As if on cue, the door started to open. The pair of them dropped what they were reading and tried to look nonchalant.

A tall woman looked in at them, her face crumpling in surprise. She seemed similar to many of the water nymphs at Camp, though she seemed more formally dressed. Maybe it was something they had to do near the palace, though Poseidon had always seemed a pretty informal guy. "And who are you?" she asked. "Demigods? Here?"

Nico glanced at Will. There was a lot of '_oops'_ which could be read in that glance.

"It's fine," whispered Will. "I can seduce her, and then she'll help us escape."

"Great plan, Will," murmured Nico back.

"Really?" Will allowed himself a little smile.

"No. For one it's pretty sexist, and, for another, even if it wasn't, you come over about as straight as a banana."

"You can get straight bananas!" muttered Will, in as aggrieved a way as it was possible to be while muttering. "Well, straight-ish…"

"Yeah, well, you're one of the regular bendy ones."

"Any time you two are ready…?" said the woman.

Will bit his lip. "Um. Hi. We were, uh, out walking on a, er, date, and wandered in here by accident."

"You did?" she asked, archly.

Will smiled weakly. "Well, not accident, really, because -" He dropped his voice and jerked his head towards Nico "- though he doesn't want to say, he really needs a pee." Will kept smiling even as Nico trod hard on his toes. _Ouch._

The woman's expression seemed to soften. "Because of all the water?" she asked.

Will gave Nico an '_It's actually working!'_ look. Nico returned with a '_Maybe…' _face. "Yeah," said Will. "That's it. All the water."

"Outside," she said, matter-of-factly.

"Yup." Will, more relaxed, returned to his usual casual manner. He looked around. "So, is there a loo around here? Because he's a little old to be wetting himself as frequently as he -" Will froze, as if hit very hard between the eyes. Of its own accord, his mouth formed a silent word. Will's eyes went back to the woman. He tried a sheepish laugh. "Ha. Yes. Outside. At the bottom of the sea."

"Thought so," said the woman. "I think you should be going to see my husband now, don't you?"

Will opened his mouth. Nico thought Will had probably said enough, so spoke instead. "Yes, Lady Amphitrite," he said meekly.

* * *

**As usual, TBC...**

**Comments and queries welcomed.**


	24. Beneath the Waves - Part II

**Beneath the Waves**

**(Part II)**

* * *

"You got us into this."

"Me?"

"Yes, you and your rubbish lies."

"You, Nico, were the one who wanted us to come here in the first place. I _told_ you this would happen!"

"Well, you should have stopped me better!"

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Does."

"Doesn't."

"Does!"

"Really doesn't, dear."

Nico bit his lip. "Doesn't…" he sighed. He squeezed Will's hand. "We'll get out of this."

"Do you two ever shut up?" groaned Amphitrite.

Nico scowled. "I _used_ to be taciturn. Laconic."

"And then he met me!" beamed Will. "It kind-of rubbed off."

"Really…"

Will nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. I used to talk _so_ much. Now, hardly ever!" He grinned.

Weirdly, Nico and Amphitrite shared a meaningful look.

"No," said Nico sadly. "I don't know why he's like that either."

"He's actually slightly better than his father…" she murmured, before leading them up to a door. She pressed - Nico was surprised - a button on the wall and it opened with a _swoosh_. Which was weird, because the door was made of wood and had hinges.

All thoughts of the practicalities of the fixtures, however, were rapidly driven out of Nico's head by the sight of Poseidon.

Nico and Will smiled weakly.

He didn't look particularly happy to see them.

* * *

So. Poseidon had definitely been angry with them. There had been a lot of shouting. Will had desperately wanted to melt into the floor. He was, he supposed, touched that Nico, who, of course, _did_ have the ability to do so, had stuck with him.

Will that the sea was frightening. He'd never understood until now, though, just why people felt like that. And standing in front of Poseidon - cool, laid-back, Bermuda-wearing Poseidon - being berated for sneaking out of camp, sneaking _in_ unannounced, going through his private office, attempting to steal from him (Will hadn't thought that _that_ accusation was justified, but … he didn't think his voice was working properly), and generally showing an immense amount of disrespect to a god. The 'god' part was being particularly emphasised.

Occasionally, Will lifted his eyes from their downcast, shamefaced expression, and caught a glimpse of the water beyond the plate-glass windows. Even down here it seemed to be churning. Eeek.

It was Nico that stunned Will most, though. He'd never known Nico be quite so obedient in accepting criticism. Nico had certainly gone toe-to-toe with gods before. Will could imagine Nico having stand-up rows with Hades. _That_ he would like to see. Or would he?

Well, anyway, Nico was certainly not talking back. Not like Poseidon was giving much room for chipping in, though.

Will's bones felt like they were turning to jelly. How had he ended up here? _Him_. Good, golden Will, darling of the camp, Chiron's little helper - he was well aware that his reputation among the other campers, even before the war, had been as a 'teacher's pet', a 'suck-up', and quite a lot of worse, far ruder, descriptions. Though despite that, everyone had liked him. It was weird, that people would quite readily sneer at his behaviour, but be very happy to be his friend.

Will didn't understand it at all. The way he saw the world, there was no reason not to be nice to anybody. Except Nico. But that was a special case, and he occasionally needed to be kept in check.

But he was drifting away from the situation he was in. Maybe he should have kept drifting. He felt beads of sweat form beneath his shoulder blades, and stream down to pool in the hollow at the small of his back. Could Poseidon control perspiration, too? It _was_ water. He was pretty sure that there were rivers spraying out from his armpits, now. He didn't want to look, but he suspected that wearing grey had been a bad idea. The first of many today.

Everything suddenly seemed very quiet. Will looked up and realised that Poseidon had finished, and was now staring at them intently, clearly waiting for some kind of response. Will tried to open his mouth, but all his facial muscles seemed to have gone on strike. Nothing was happening. A wave of fear, and guilt, and humiliation rolled across his mind. He wanted to cry.

"We're concerned about a conspiracy among the gods," said Nico calmly, his eyes steadily meeting Poseidon's gaze. "We've been looking into the source of your powers, and we believe that at least some gods are set on preventing us."

"Your evidence?" said Poseidon. His face gave nothing away.

"The faked abduction of Psyche's children."

"That's all?"

Nico shook his head. "That got us started. We've since had a little investigation, and have reports from other gods about their suspicions."

"You got gods to talk to you?" Poseidon looked more than a little surprised at this.

"With a little persuasion," said Nico.

Will felt himself blush.

"But you've got nothing on me?"

"No. So, which side are you on?"

Poseidon clearly hadn't expected such a direct approach. He blinked, and then his stern expression relaxed. "I have no objections to you continuing your research."

Nico narrowed his eyes. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Then why were you so angry?" asked Nico.

"You _did_ break into my house. Your father would have done the same - and _has_ done many times!"

Nico bit his lip. "Yeah… Sorry." He focused again. "I'm starting to think that there's something more going on than just us being slowed in our research. There's something - I don't know - nothing's really happened, but - but things just don't feel right. Why would people care about the source of their powers if there was nothing to find out?"

Poseidon frowned. "What do you mean?"

"These gods who are opposing us - _why_? It's an elaborate and well-connected set-up just for the two of us. I think there's something more to it." Nico hesitated. "This is just off the top of my head - I have no evidence at all - but, if I were you, I'd be keeping a close eye on the gods who want to oppose Will and I. It seems like a faction. And factions, I reckon, aren't good."

Poseidon stroked his chin. "I think you're over-reacting. You, like your father, are inclined to be suspicious. I think that the gods who do not wish you to find out about our powers merely think that you are being disrespectful. I disagree. You do not seek to defy us, merely to understand us better. I see nothing wrong in that. Others, however, might. Gods are different from each other. We think, and do, different things."

Something clicked in Will's brain. He still felt rather too overawed to speak - though the immediate danger seemed to have passed - but, something in what Poseidon had said seemed to make sense. He thought back to which gods had been on the two lists. _Was_ there a pattern after all?

"All right," sighed Poseidon. "You may go." He looked straight at Will. "I did not expect you to be tagging along on a burglary, Will. I'd hoped that you'd be a better influence on my nephew, not him be a worse one on you."

Will blushed. He was being spoken to directly. And his tongue _still_ refused to untie itself. He made a few inarticulate sounds. Then Nico took hold of his hand. It still too a great force of will, but he at last managed to stammer a few words.

Poseidon looked at Will in confusion. "What?"

"I said," said Will, clearing his throat, "that I would never let Nico do something like this alone."

"I thought it might be something like that. Go, both of you. And next time, though you are both welcome here, ask permission." Poseidon waved them away. "I think, though," he mused, "that I need to have a little chat with my brother about appropriate birthday presents and not spoiling his children."

Nico opened his mouth: a perfect, red-rimmed, dark O in the middle of his paper-white face. Will put his hand under Nico's jaw and firmly closed it. Unable to speak, Nico contented himself with glaring at Poseidon, and turning ever redder as he bottled up his resentment at the accusation of being spoilt.

Will bowed to Poseidon, and keeping a hand on Nico's shoulder, steered him out of the throne room. He could feel Nico quivering with anger.

"I -"

"Not a word, Nico. Don't say a word."

"Easy for you to - mmph! _Mmph!_"

His hand over Nico's mouth, Will led him back down to the mini-sub.

* * *

Amazingly, Nico managed to keep quiet all the way back to the submarine (Will had kept his eyes firmly shut for their min-sub death-trip) before exploding.

"_Spoilt_! Me?" Nico frowned so hard that his eyebrows met in the middle. Will had to choke back a laugh. Nico didn't notice, as he'd already started on a rant. "I mean -"

Will tuned the words out, occasionally nodding sympathetically and making noises of agreement. He only stopped after getting a sharp pain in his shin. Stifling a yelp, he shook himself and glared at Nico. "What was that for?"

"I stopped talking quite a while ago. You weren't even listening to me!" Nico balled his fists. "I had legitimate grievances!"

Will snorted. "Yeah, yeah." He grinned. "But, whatever - when Poseidon was talking, things suddenly started to make sense: and I think I've got it!"

Nico stopped pouting and raised an unflappable-looking eyebrow. "Is it contagious?"

Will ignored him. "I know what separates our list!"

"Stop dragging it out, Will, and just tell me."

"Gods do different things!" Will beamed.

Nico frowned. "And…?"

"They're responsible for different things - and, if you take those who are happy for us to keep this up -"

"Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Hades -"

"And the rest, yeah - then compare them to the others -"

"Ares, Hermes, Hera -"

"Yep. The ones that are for us, generally speaking, are gods of concrete things."

"I don't think concrete has a god, Will."

Will kicked him lightly. "You know what I mean. _Real_ things: the sky, the sea, the Underworld, the sun, and so on. While those who are against us are gods of abstract things: marriage, war, communication - that kind of thing."

Nico thought carefully. "Yeah… I guess you're right."

"I don't know about the minor gods, but I'd bet that the pattern fits there too."

"Hmm. So what?"

Will shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe they're more frightened of us finding out where there power lies - for, I suppose, you could get rid of abstract things more easily than you could get rid of the sea, or the sky. Maybe they're afraid that we'll, somehow, take away their powers, and then they'll fade." Will shrugged. "Maybe they have an inferiority complex. Worth a thought, though, right?"

Nico's eyes flashed. "Interesting…" He shivered. "I still think there's something more to it, though. We'll do more when we get back to camp."

"And can we make that as fast as possible? This death-tube is starting to freak me out again."

Nico rolled his eyes. "We're _not_ going to die!" He wrinkled his nose. "Well, we _will_, but not right now. Probably…"

* * *

**Look, no cliff! Plus,I've finally worked out where this story is going.**

**Reviews, as always, treated with affection.**


	25. Playing About

**Playing About**

* * *

_Buzz!_

"This is a stupid game!" fumed Will, throwing down the tweezers. "It's nothing like a real operation."

Jason glanced at Nico. "Sore loser, isn't he?"

Nico nodded. "It doesn't matter what we play." He poked Will. "Since when have you done a 'real operation' anyhow? It's all just singing."

Will coloured. "Um. Yeah. But, uh, in principle…"

"Hmm." Nico and Jason exchanged a look. Nico picked up the tweezers and deftly removed a pencil from the arm of the figure. "I don't see what the problem is."

Will opened his mouth to retort, but then sank back into a squat. He sighed. "Hmph."

"So, Jason," asked Nico, watching him try to pull out an apple, "how's the shrine business coming along? It's been months."

"Oh, fine, fine," said Jason, absently. "There are just so many of them."

"Got any funny stories?" asked Will.

"Oh, a few." Jason narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to distract me?"

"There's no way he can win, Jason," said Nico.

"Yeah, but –" Jason stuck his tongue out in concentration as he negotiated the plastic piece around the metal edging "– he could be helping you out."

"Oh, yeah, _that's_ representative of our relationship…" said Will. "Stop stalling, Jason, and spill."

"Well, there was the time I was making an altar for the Muses, and Calliope came along and told me it was epic."

Will and Nico exchanged glances. They didn't understand why Jason was beaming.

Jason frowned. "Guys? Calliope? Epic? Good story!"

Will and Nico exchanged another glance. Which probably meant that they had the first one back now. "Well," started Will, "first -"

"- that's a really bad story, and, second -" Nico said, carrying on from Will without a pause.

"- it didn't happen," finished Will.

Jason eyes them both. "Moving on from how what you did there was _really weird_ \- it really happened! And it's funny!"

Nico gave him a dead-eyed stare. "No. It's not. No. It didn't."

"Did too!"

"Calliope, the wisest of the Muses, said _that_?" asked Will, looking unconvinced.

Jason bit his lip. "Well, not _exactly_ that, but…"

"What did she say…?" prompted Nico.

"She said that it was well-positioned..."

"Now, _that_ I can more readily believe," said Nico.

"And that it was OK."

"OK?" Will raised an eyebrow. "Standards are slipping? Or do the Muses not matter?"

Jason scowled. "Their temples are not primarily physical anyway."

"Lame excuse, Jason," said Nico, snorting.

"Well, Nico, have _you_ got anything better?"

"Well, Will and I reckon that there's a dangerous faction emerging within the gods." Nico blinked innocently at the startled faces of his boyfriend and Jason. "What?"

"Um - some kind of warning?" suggested Will. He looked across at Jason, who seemed frozen. "Jason? Hello?" He waved his hand in front of Jason's eyes. "Anyone in there?"

"That'd be a change…" muttered Nico.

"You shouldn't change gears like that mid-sentence!" chided Will. "Some people can't cope."

"You mean Jason can't cope. Not my fault!

"It kind-of is. You should ramp up to that kind of thing."

"Uh - what?" said Jason.

"Some gods - it seems those representing abstract qualities - are forming a group. I don't know why, but I don't reckon it's safe."

Jason looked at Will. "And you believe this too?"

Will shrugged. "I'm sure that there _is_ a grouping of the gods, and I _know_ that they are opposed to Nico and me investigating the source of the gods' powers. I'm not quite as paranoid as Nico, though. I think that they could only be annoyed with the two of us and so not a threat to the stability of the universe…"

"You make me sound like a nutter…" grumbled Nico.

"You _do_," said Jason. "Both of you." He sighed. "I expected more of you, Will. I know you love him, but this is a bit much. A baseless conspiracy?"

"Jason -" started Will.

"No. This is not a conversation I'm having with you two. And, while what you said was laughable, it was hardly funny. Now, I have a little piece of plastic to fish out with some metal tweezers -"

_Buzz!_

* * *

"So…" said Nico, an eyebrow raised. "I kicked the ball down the ramp, which joggled the hand, which sent that marble to knock the big ball over the edge onto the seesaw to tip that little plastic thing into a little plastic tub. But the trap hasn't fallen down."

"Does that mean I haven't been caught?" asked Will, hopeful.

Jason prodded the plastic spike. Eventually, the cage jerked down to the board. "No."

"Oh." Will's face fell. "Does that mean I've lost?"

"Yep," said Nico, gleeful. "So, that's three games I've won, and two that Jason has won. And none for you."

"Alright, alright, I've got that I haven't won anything yet!"

"Is there _any_ game you're good at, Will?" sighed Nico. "This is just getting embarrassing…"

Will scowled and turned his attention back towards the games cupboard. "Aha!" He waggled a box in the air.

"Scrabble?" groaned Jason. "But – Will – we're dyslexic!"

"Oh." Will raised an eyebrow. "Tough." He stuck out his tongue at them.

"You realise, of course," said Nico, shaking the bag of tiles, "that if you _still_ lose, this is going to be even more humiliating for you?"

Will paled. "Um. Maybe there are other games we could try first…"

"He just does whatever you tell him, doesn't he?" snorted Jason. "It's worse than Piper."

"Actually, it's in the tone of voice," said Nico. "It's like training a dog."

* * *

"You can't refuse to attack anyone, Will," sighed Jason.

"Why not?"

"Because the point of the game is to conquer everyone else. So that all of your little yellow armies replace all my red ones, and Nico's black ones. Oh, and, incidentally, Nico - did you _paint_ them?"

Nico coloured. "Maybe…"

"But that's not very nice," insisted Will. "Can't I be neutral?"

"No!" said Nico. "You can't!"

"But -"

"Will, just play the game," said Jason.

"Fine. Um. One into Siberia?"

* * *

"I don't -" Nico broke off and shook his head.

"It's just not possible," agreed Jason. He cleaned his glasses.

"I mean … he … I …" mumbled Nico.

"Uh huh," said Jason. He put his glasses back on his nose and stared at Will. "_How?_"

Will blushed and looked down at the yellow blocks covering all the territories. "Um. Sorry? I didn't mean to…"

Jason gave Will a wary look. "Are you sure about that?"

Will smiled slightly. "Well… I noticed that you and Nico tended to ignore me while blocking each other. I guess I just saw an opening." He looked sheepish. "I'm sure it's only because you expected me not to do anything."

"Maybe…" hummed Jason, narrowing his eyes. "But will you be on my team for Capture the Flag?"

Will snorted. "There won't be a game for weeks yet!"

"Yeah, but, once everyone gets back, there will be one, and they'll have no idea how sneaky you are. It might even surprise Annabeth."

"It'll surprise me," muttered Nico. He slumped against Will. "He'll be no good when he has to act against _people_, not wooden blocks. He's just insufferably nice."

"Well, _you_ tolerate it," said Will, putting an arm around Nico.

"Not without complaint."

"But you complain about everything."

"So?"

"Guys?" said Jason, quickly. "Are we going to play something else now?"

"No. You're going to tell us everything you know about the gods' behaviours.

Jason stared at Nico. "This is stupid. I don't know anything! There's nothing _to_ know!"

"Yeah, whatever - have you noticed any tensions lately?"

"No! Well - no."

"_Well_?" said Will.

Jason grimaced. "Athena wanted an altar set up in Vermont. I was on my way when Aphrodite came to me in a dream -"

"Really…" sniggered Nico, for a moment forgetting his serious persona. Will jabbed him in the side.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Do you want to know or not? Aphrodite visited me and told me that Athena didn't want it after all. I didn't think much of it - gods change their minds like Will changes shirts - but, a week later, I got bombarded with owls until I set off to set it up."

"And did you?" asked Will.

"Yeah. It's there now."

"And was that the only time?"

Jason thought. "Hera did the same thing - to Athena again. Though those three have always been getting at each other. And then I had to fix a desecrated altar: one of Poseidon's, I think. I couldn't tell who'd done it, but it had been quite violently done." He caught the glance between Nico and Will, and scowled. "But I'm sure it's nothing! Just godly tantrums. They have them all the time."

"Mmm. And they lead to things like the Trojan War." Nico tapped his fingers against his foot. "Let me know if it gets more serious, OK?"

"What, and feed your little obsession?" said Jason. He sighed. "It keeps you occupied, I guess."

"That _was_ the point…" muttered Will. He twitched a smile at his boyfriend. "Turned out to be about more than that, right?"

"If only we could work out _what_ is actually going on!" grumbled Nico. "We just seem to be going round in circles, picking up bits of information - _ooh!_" He grinned at them.

Will and Jason looked at him oddly. "What?"

"Do we have _Trivial Pursuit_ in the cupboard?"

* * *

**More soon. Thanks for reading!**


	26. Fruit and Flowers

**Fruit and Flowers**

* * *

"And what's this meant to be?" asked Nico, lifting the yellow object from the table.

"A straight banana," replied Will.

"Do I want to -" started Jason.

"No," said Nico. He peered at it. "Will, this isn't a banana. It's a cucumber that you've painted yellow."

Will looked sheepish. "Maybe…"

Jason looked from one, to the other, and then at the 'banana'. "I really _don't_ want to know!"

Will and Nico both looked up at him at once. "What? Jason!"

"But why did you bother with the deception?" asked Nico. "When you can just do _this_?" He focused on his plate, and, a moment later, a perfectly straight banana appeared on it. He gave it to Will. "There."

"Cheers. Now what do I do with my other one?"

"Up to you, dear."

"Why do I sit with you two?" groaned Jason. "_Why_ do I put myself through this?"

"Because all your other friends have much more interesting lives," said Nico. He smiled widely at Jason. "Next!"

Jason thought for a minute, shrugged, and went back to his cereal. "Could be right there."

"Anything weird happened on one of your trips?" asked Nico.

"Other than you two?" Jason ducked away from Nico's fist, and looked thoughtful. "There was a bit of a weird one. Ares told me to build him an altar on Mount Cithaeron."

"In Greece?" asked Will.

"In New York. It moved, like a lot of other things, and it's here because -"

"It's sacred to -" Nico jerked his head at the empty top table, "- Mr. D." He frowned. "Hang on. _It's_ _sacred to Mr. D_."

Jason nodded. "Exactly. Hence: weird."

Will bit his lip. "Pretty blasphemous, actually." He looked across at Jason. "It can't have been easy."

"I didn't see anyone while I was there, but I didn't stay long. It didn't seem wise to linger."

"Didn't do Pentheus much good," agreed Nico.

"No. So, anyway, I thought I should mention it." Jason looked around. "I don't know what Mr. D.'s reaction will be. But I have to do what I'm ordered…"

Will patted Jason's hand sympathetically. "You'll be OK. Or I'll fix you afterwards until you are."

Jason paled. "Thanks, Will…" He picked up the painted cucumber. "You two are seriously weird, do you know that?"

Nico looked affronted. "I think you'll find that the person replacing a banana with a cucumber and hoping we won't notice is _Will_, not _me_." He glanced across at Will. "Freak."

"Hmm?" Will was staring at the 'banana' in Jason's hand. "What was that?"

"I said that _you're_ the freak."

"Oh. Um. Yeah. Maybe." Will stood up, forehead creased. "Uh, I've got to go. See you at lunch, OK?"

Before Nico could reply, Will had dropped a kiss onto the top of his head, and had walked away. He shrugged at Jason. "He must be late for something."

Jason looked up from his bowl. "Huh? Where did Will go?"

* * *

Nico stepped out of the shadows and tapped Will on the shoulder. Will didn't even look round from winding bandages.

"Yes, Nico?"

"I've got it."

"Do you want me to check whether it's contagious?"

"Hopefully. If your brain can manage, Sunshine."

Will turned around. "What is it, then?"

Nico leaned forwards, his eyes bright with a kind of excitement: "Some of the gods are trying to take the powers of others!"

"I know," said Will.

Nico opened his mouth. "It's - wait - _what_?" He scowled. "You're just saying that."

Will shook his head and picked up the notepad that his on the desk. At the bottom of a page of notes sat the words: 'They're taking other gods' powers'. It was circled and underlined. Twice.

"Oh." Nico seemed to deflate a little.

Will ruffled Nico's hair. "It's OK. It's still faster than anyone else. And I only beat you to it by, like, fifteen minutes, tops."

"Hmph." Nico sat down heavily on Will's knee.

Will let out a small squeak of surprise. He winced. "You're not a walking skeleton anymore, Nico…"

Nico rolled his eyes. "And you used to complain that I was too bony! There is no pleasing some people." He gathered his thoughts again. "Anyway - you don't seem too bothered by this. Particularly seeing as, having worked it out, you didn't feel an urgent need to tell me."

Will shrugged. "I had a couple of things to do. Also, it's chucking it down outside, and, unlike you, I can't teleport from place to place. And that would ruin my marvellous hair."

Nico stared Will's hair, which was, from a now _very _prolonged lack of cutting, hanging down his face. Every now and then he pushed it back over his ears, but it rarely stayed out of the way long. (Nico had, some weeks ago, taken a pair of scissors to his own hair, and, despite the mess, he reckoned it was a better look than Will's.) He laughed, and then shifted his gaze to look out of the window, where the rain fell in almost unbroken rods. "Yeah. It's not got any better from when Jason and Mr. D. had their conversation."

"I heard the yelling in here."

"I think you would've heard the yelling in New Rome." He frowned. "But you really didn't think it was worth braving the weather to tell me, or anyone else, about the gods conspiring against one another?"

"Well, they've waited this long, and, to be honest, it doesn't seem to be working that well. We've seen very little evidence, say, of any of their children having different powers. Also, since they think that it's still a secret, I don't think that we want to spread this around. That might just bring them into the open. Or get us killed." Will thought. "Well, the latter would probably result in the former…"

Nico narrowed his eyes. "So you're not that worried?"

Will shook his head, his eyes wide. "I _am_ worried. I'm just not sure what to do about it."

Nico looked searchingly into Will's face. He nodded, and then gave him a little reassuring smile. "Yet. We'll figure something out, Will."

Will raised an eyebrow. "I hope so."

Nico sighed, and cast his gaze around the room. He frowned. "Why have you still got that banana?"

"It's here to prove how avowedly masculine I am."

"Until it goes all black and mushy. Then what will it prove?"

"That all things decay. A reminder of our own mortality - a reminder, Death Boy, of _you_."

Nico smiled. "You're quick, Will. I'll give you that."

"And what else?"

"I got you that banana. What else can you want - and, also, doesn't that make it your turn?"

"Well -"

"Hey - _help!_"

Will jumped up and stuck his head out of the door. A Hephaestus kid was running towards him, clearly distressed. "What's up?"

"This." The boy produced his hands from behind his back. They were sprouting flowers.

Nico and Will exchanged an alarmed glance.

The boy noticed. His lip started to wobble. "Am I going to be OK?"

Will smiled at him. "You'll be fine! Just sit on this chair and I'll see what I can do for you. Nico - come over to my cabin later, will you?"

Nico nodded, and left. The boy sniggered. "So it's true what everyone -"

Will fixed the kid with the coldest stare he could muster (Nico had been giving him lessons). "Do you want to be green-fingered forever?"

The boy hung his head. "No…"

* * *

"I'm going to miss coming in here when all your siblings are back."

"You _can_ still be in here when they're here, you know. They like you."

"Yeah, but," Nico pulled a little closer into Will's side, "there are so many of them. And there'd be no space."

"You're not taking up much room at the moment," said Will.

"You know what I mean. There'd always be someone there, or trying to get past, or doing something. And the noise!"

"Well, I'll just have to come and visit you, then, won't I?"

"Uh-huh."

"In the Gloom-Room."

"It is _not_! We redecorated, remember?"

"Mmm. From black to dark grey."

"All the difference in the world. And I thought you liked the coffin beds?"

"I do, I do! I think they're cool. A bit cosy -"

"You know that the sides fold out?"

"You never said that before!"

Nico shrugged. "You never seemed bothered."

"Hmm." Will rolled over to look at Nico. He kissed him. "I guess I'm not, really." Will's jaw tightened. "I _am_, however, bothered by that Hephaestus kid."

Nico nodded. "It shows that it's starting to work. Could you fix it?"

"Well, that was the thing - I was about to, and I'd started a little healing hymn, but before I'd finished, all the flowers just wilted away."

"So it's not stable?"

"Doesn't look like it. And it certainly wasn't controllable on his part."

"So we've got time before it sorts itself out."

"But that time could be pretty short." Will rubbed his eyes. "We just don't know."

"I reckon that we need to start checking shrines and holy places. See if expressions of belief in the gods really are changing."

"Yep. And that starts tomorrow. We can't afford any delay."

"In the meantime, though, I've thought of something we could do tonight with your banana."

"Mmm?"

"Banana sandwiches."

* * *

**And things carry on...**

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	27. Sightseeing

**Sightseeing**

* * *

"Where are we?"

"In one of the sacred fields of Demeter."

"So… Kansas?"

"Yup."

Will looked around at the rows of wheat. For some reason, he shivered. He looked back at Nico. "So what are we looking for here?"

"According to Jason's maps -" Nico waved a worn notebook, "- there's an altar somewhere in this field."

"In the middle?" suggested Will.

Nico shook his head. "Not necessarily…" He craned his neck. He couldn't get a good view of the field. "Hey, Will, can you lift me up?"

"Um. Well, I'm not particularly strong - _oof!_"

Nico jumped onto Will's back, pressing down on his shoulders. After a few moments, he dropped back down again.

Will winced. "That's dangerous! You could have hurt my back doing that."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, there's a crop circle over there." He pointed. "Come on." He walked away, pushing through the stalks.

Will hurried after him. "Crop circles?"

"Yeah, it's a traditional way of paying reverence to the goddess."

"So, not aliens, then?"

Nico turned his head back and grinned. "No. People would likely find the truth harder to believe."

The two of them stepped into the area of pressed-down wheat. They looked on the scene in front of them with distaste.

"Is that a - a _dog_?" asked Will.

Nico nodded solemnly. "It _was_…"

Will felt a wave of nausea. "That's disgusting. No prizes for guessing who wants _that_ kind of offering…"

"Ares." Nico circled the dead animal, wrinkling his nose. "Supposedly in Sparta they used to sacrifice human captives to him."

"I knew I didn't like him."

"Never a popular god, even back in Greece. Too … messy." Nico bent down to the little square stone slab. "How long do you reckon this dog has been here?"

Will screwed up his face. He didn't want to go anywhere near it. Nico shot him a 'You _have _to' look. Will, as ever, obeyed, and peered at the corpse. "Well… Not much decay. Blood not fully dry." He looked at Nico. "Probably only last night."

"I agree. And there's no evidence of previous offerings. So we might have caught this one early."

"What do we intend doing now?"

"Well, we remove the offering - we can't _undo_ the ceremony, but we can limit its duration. Then we perform a proper ritual directed to Demeter."

"By 'remove the offering', you mean…"

"We have to pick up the dead dog, yes."

Will grimaced and looked around. "Did you bring a spade, or something?"

"Um. No."

"I hate saving the world."

* * *

"I'm not convinced that that was a proper hymn to Demeter."

Nico shrugged. "Demeter's rituals are Mysteries. You have to be inducted to know what they are. Being not on great terms with her daughter, I haven't been invited. I improvised."

"'Corn, wonderful corn: for it I was born' -"

"OK, OK!"

"Oh, no, we have to do all of it: 'Grow up big and strong; let me not be wrong. O great Demeter, O great Demeter.' I can't believe you actually got me to sing that."

Nico smiled. "To be honest, I didn't think you were going to. Anyway, what was your contribution? Throwing grains of wheat around?"

"Scattering them reverentially, actually."

"R_iii_ght." Nico paused and looked along the road, both ways. In either direction there was just mile after mile of wheat. "Quiet here, isn't it?"

"Mmm. Spooky, if you ask me. Are we going back to Camp now?" asked Will, getting up from the kerb.

"No. Two more altars to check tonight."

"But… _bed_. Sleep."

"Tough. Time and tide, and the machinations of the gods, wait for no man."

Will huffed. "Fine. Where to next?"

"Delos." Nico held out his hand.

Reluctantly, and squeezing his eyes shut, Will took it, and was sucked into the horrible void.

* * *

There was the now-familiar lurch as they dropped out of the shadows and into the solid world.

"Will," said Nico, his voice authoritative, "before you open your eyes and freak out, remember not to step back, OK?"

Confused as to what Nico was on about, Will blinked his eyes open. He felt Nico tighten his grip on his arms. Then he saw where they were, and, as Nico had predicted, he freaked out.

"Aaaaah! AAAAH! _AAAAAH!_"

"Finished?"

"Aaaah!"

Nico raised an eyebrow. Will pulled himself forwards, putting his arms around him. Somehow, Will managed to shrink in size to bury his head in Nico's shoulder. The narrow ledge was just wide enough for the pair of them to stand like that. They were perched high up on a pretty bleak rock in the middle of the sea. Waves, too dark to see in the half-moon, could be felt from the spray. And the roar of the sea could certainly be heard.

"Why are we here?" quavered Will. "In this horrible place?"

"This is where your dad was born. This is Delos."

"That explains why he's crazy. Do we have to stay here?"

"I didn't know that you were frightened of heights."

Will pulled his head away, scowling. "I'm not! But _this_ isn't 'heights'. _This_ is balancing on a lump of stone in the middle of the night with the very real possibility of falling into the ocean."

"True." Nico kissed him. "That make you feel better?"

"No." Will shivered. It was raining, too. "Where is this place, anyway - I mean, specifically - are we in Greece?"

"No, no. It moved. Well, it moved before of course, until Apollo and Artemis were born. But it moved like Olympus and the rest. Now we're just off San Francisco. If you turn round, you can just about make out the lights of the Golden Gate Bridge."

"Great. I'm not turning round, though."

"Wimp. But, we've got to get going."

"Where?" asked Will, wary.

"This way." Keeping one hand on the rock, and one hand on Will, Nico shuffled slowly down a curving slope. Very slowly - Will kept stopping…

"How do you know about this?"

Nico looked back. "When I was … travelling, I had a tendency to end up in places with particularly strong godly residues."

The path turned sharply, and headed inside the rock. Now that they were away from the sea, Will loosened his grip on Nico, and started to walk a little more confidently along the sloping corridor -

Naturally, having done so, he promptly slipped, and, crashing into Nico, sent them sliding down the smooth stone ledge, coming out in an undignified heap at the bottom.

"Thanks, Will," groaned Nico, picking himself up.

"No problem," said Will, rubbing his bruised side and staggering to his feet. He looked about at the quiet cave. It was entirely of black stone, but, at the same time, it was lit with an odd silvery light that didn't seem to have any natural origin. "Why couldn't we just have shadow-travelled into here?"

Nico shrugged. "You needed the full Delian experience. It is, after all, your birth-right."

Will looked around and wrinkled his nose. "Really?" He wiped his hand demurely on his trousers. "I knew something had to be."

"Well, on this floor your Dad was born."

"Eww." Will looked around and shuddered. "I don't want to think about it."

"You know, you're remarkably prissy for a wannabe doctor."

"Shut up. I can't help it. And after delivering Chuck…" Will shuddered again, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I do _not_ want to go into that branch of medicine." He opened his eyes again. "So, what are we looking for? There doesn't seem to have been a disturbance."

Nico scanned the floor, pacing around the irregular circle that formed the base shape of the cave. "No. I don't think anyone has been here."

Will raised an eyebrow. "I wonder how you reckon they _would_ have got here, anyway? It's in the middle of the sea!"

"There are these things called 'boats', Will," said Nico drily. He tipped his head to the side. "But I agree that it would be worrying if there had been anything here. It would show a lot of dedication, though the prize - the shrine of two gods at once - might be worth it."

"But there's nothing." Will examined a mark on the wall. "Nope. Normal reverence of Apollo." He turned round to face Nico. "Satisfied?"

Nico nodded. "But we will have to check this place regularly. If there start being impious sacrifices here, then we'll know that we're in big trouble."

"But no hanging around outside, OK?"

"It's quite nice in the daytime -"

"I don't care."

"Fine, fine." Nico held up his hands. "I won't argue with you."

"Good. So, where to next?"

"One of my dad's holy places. Lake Avernus. Now in Florida…"

"Cool. Let's go, then." Will held out his hands and closed his eyes.

"Are you starting to get to like shadow-travelling?"

"No. But you're not very receptive to my arguments. And I also want to get out of this cave."

Nico laughed. "Here we go -" He took hold of Will's hands.

There was a pause.

"Um, Nico?" ventured Will. "We can go now."

"Yeah. Uh." Nico frowned.

"Nico?" Will opened his eyes. "Why are we still here?"

Silent, Nico took his hands out of Will's, shook them, and then put them back in. He squeezed. Will squeezed back.

"Go?" suggested Will, a bit concerned.

"I'm working on it." Nico shut his eyes and furrowed his brow in concentration. Around them, the shadows flickered. Nico opened his eyes again, panting. He stared worriedly at Will, who mirrored his anxious look. "I can't do it. The shadows won't respond properly to me."

* * *

**...!**

**Thanks to everyone for reading, following, favouriting, and/or reviewing so far.**


	28. Cave-men

**Cave-men**

* * *

"So… Now what?"

Nico spun around in frustration. "I don't know!" He sighed. "Maybe it'll come back. That Hephaestus kid was back to normal in a little while. This could wear off, too."

"And if it doesn't?"

"I don't _know_," snapped Nico. He flushed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to -"

Will smiled and patted his boyfriend's cheek. "I understand. It's OK. You're allowed to get a bit stressed out in this kind of situation."

"Yeah. But… Aren't you?"

Will shrugged. "I think you're right. That it's just a temporary thing. But I also have in mind the fact that this place is sacred to my dad and my aunt, and that it's quite likely that one of them will be able to get us out."

"Oh. Yeah." Nico slumped to the floor. "I guess we'll be fine, then, if we just wait here."

Will dropped down next to him. The floor was oddly comfortable. Not as unforgiving as it looked. "I hope so."

"Oh well, at least it gives us time to think." Nico smirked. "Well, it gives _me_ time to think."

"Excuse me? Who comes up with most of the good ideas?"

"I wouldn't say _most_."

"I would."

"Look, Sunshine, in this little duo, you're the pretty one. By default, I'm the clever one."

"Aww, thanks Nico." Will bashed Nico's head lightly against the cave wall.

"Ouch! That was a compliment!"

"Kind-of. But," Will fluttered his eyelashes at Nico, "I don't see why a boy can't be pretty _and_ clever."

"But what does that leave me with?"

"Creepiest?" Will nudged his boyfriend. "Cutest. In an adorable baby-animal-type way."

"How do those two adjectives go together? How can I be creepy _and_ cute?"

Will sighed. "I don't know, Death Boy. But you are, somehow."

Nico opened his mouth to retort. He had nothing. He closed his mouth again. "Well," he said, starting again, "this isn't getting us anywhere."

"Well, we _aren't_ going anywhere!" grinned Will.

Nico narrowed his eyes. "You, William, are in danger of getting very familiar with tibia."

"Am I." Will regarded Nico coolly. "Aren't you forgetting why we're stuck here?"

Nico's face fell. "Oh, yeah. Oops."

Will laughed, before settling his face into a more serious expression. "So, anyway, this has been bugging me: who's sacrificing to the wrong gods?"

"Their kids, I suppose. I mean, for instance, we'd probably be able to work out who was at the wheat field just by tracking the nearby Ares kids. If there are even that many that it's not totally obvious."

"And who's telling them to? Their parents?"

"I guess so. Visions and dreams are pretty common fare for demigods."

"You can say that again…" mused Will. "Come to think of it, that might be a bit reassuring."

Nico looked up at him. "Why?"

"They're clearly acting individually. Each god or goddess is talking to their children, but not necessarily to each other."

"How do you work that out?"

"Well, the other day, that Hephaestus kid had flowers growing from his hands. Now, we turn up at the shrine of Demeter, and there's a sacrifice to Ares. Which shows cross-purposes."

"Unless Hephaestus is replacing Persephone."

"Unlikely. There was a more complicated natural process going on than you'd associate just with Persephone. Definitely more earthy."

"Or he hadn't cleaned his fingernails."

Will looked sidelong at Nico. "No. I know what I felt. So, the 'rebel gods' aren't working together. They're going for the same powers - maybe they're even competing amongst themselves. This leaves them divided, and, hopefully, renders the actual transfer of powers less stable."

"Good point."

"I hope so."

"Chiron's going to be mad at us, you know," mused Nico.

"It's still night-time," said Will. "We can get back before anyone notices that we've gone."

"It might be night _here_," pointed out Nico, "but we're three hours behind New York. So, even if we leave here before sunrise, it'll be breakfast time at Camp. And that's not taking into account how long it might take to get back from here. By whatever means of transportation."

"We can explain. Especially if you still can't do all your Underworldy stuff."

"He's still going to be mad that we left Camp without permission. Anything could have happened to us. Maybe it's better if we lie." Nico blushed. "Maybe it would be better if everyone thought we've been making-out all night."

"I don't see why that makes things _better_. Chiron would still be mad, and that would be a really bad reason to give for staying out. We should tell him the truth. He needs to know, anyway. We can't keep this from him any longer."

Nico looked thoughtful. "I guess you're right. I'm still not sure how many people should know, though. We don't know who exactly we can trust."

"True." Will grinned. "Oh, and though I don't think it would make things better with Chiron, doesn't mean that I don't think it's a bad idea. Why does that have to be just how people imagine we spent the night?" Will leaned towards Nico -

"No!" hissed Nico. "That's a sure-fire way to get Artemis here - and _us_ incinerated!"

Will rolled his eyes. "Prude. Would you prefer it if I sat on the other side of the cave?"

"No, no, here is just fine." Nico grinned. "And, if any chaste goddess were to ask, we're huddling together for warmth, right?"

"Right. Huddling nice and close."

* * *

"I'm like an ordinary mortal now. I feel so helpless."

"An ordinary mortal with an extraordinary ability with a sword. Not totally defenceless, eh?"

"True. Imagine if _you_ lost your powers. You'd be dead by lunchtime."

Will huffed. "I resent that implication. I reckon I'd last at least until dinner." He wrapped his arm around Nico. "Plus, I know a guy who might protect me…"

"_Might_. Remember that word."

"Yes, O might-y one."

"So you _do_ have a death wish."

Will cuddled into Nico's side. "Yes. Well, a Death-Boy wish, anyway."

"You make me feel sick."

"Imagine how I feel."

Startled, the two boys looked up. A girl stood in the middle of the cave, watching them with an expression that seemed to hover, inexplicably, between amusement and disgust.

They scrambled to their feet and hurriedly bowed.

"Lady Artemis," they said, suitably respectful.

"Nico. Will." She nodded to each in turn, and then lifted an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"We have reason to believe -" started Will, before Nico stepped on his foot "- in fact," he corrected, wincing, "we're pretty _certain_ that some of the gods are attempting to gain the powers of other gods by redirecting worship at their holy places."

Artemis blinked. She stepped back, and opened and closed her mouth. Nico and Will shared a worried look. They'd not seen a goddess startled like this before.

"Lady Artemis?" ventured Nico. "Are you OK?"

"I'm - I'm fine…" she muttered, her eyes flicking around as if reading something that only she could see.

"I don't think you should have gone in with it like that," muttered Nico.

"You did with Jason," replied Will.

"And you said I was wrong to do so!" hissed Nico.

"Boys?"

"Uh-huh?" they chorused.

"So why are you _here_?" asked Artemis.

"We were checking a series of shrines. We were at one of Demeter's -"

"In Kansas?" Artemis interrupted.

Nico nodded, and continued: "Yes - and someone had been there, sacrificing to Ares. Then we came here. Fortunately, there seems to have been no change here. We were then going to go to Lake Avernus, but…" He trailed off.

"But?" prompted Artemis.

Nico reached into a shadow. Nothing happened. "Someone must have got there before us."

"So you're stuck here?"

Will gave his best charming smile. "Not if you could help us…?"

Artemis recognised the smile. It was exactly like her brother's. Unusually, though, she actually wanted to help them. "Not a problem. We can go back in the Moon."

Nico frowned. "In the Moon?"

She raised her eyebrows. "You've been in my brother's car, haven't you?"

A child-like smile briefly lit up Nico's face, which amused Will. With a cough, he suppressed it, and nodded. "I remember."

"Well, he's not the only one. I can take you in mine."

Nico frowned. "If it represents the Moon, though, won't it stand out? I mean, it'll be day-time by the time we get back."

Artemis smiled. "You know those times when you see the Moon during the day? I'm not just limited to driving at night."

"Oh, well, um, thanks," said Nico. Will nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

"You'll want to go to Avernus, I presume?" she asked.

"Yes," said Nico. "If we can undo whatever's been done there, then I might be able to get my powers back. I hope."

She smiled slightly. "I have no desire to be your chauffeur forever."

Will glanced at Nico. "Don't you have -?"

"Jules-Albert? Yeah, but I have no way of summoning him." He looked at Artemis. "Can we go, then?"

She nodded. "We'll get the car outside."

Will groaned.

* * *

Will's fear of the outside of Delos quite rapidly evaporated in his appreciation of Artemis' car. Nico had no idea why; in his opinion, Apollo's was much cooler. Artemis's was essentially a silver Mini. The goddess picked up on his unimpressed expression.

"Sometimes, when I've got the Hunters with me, it can be a people-carrier, or even a minibus."

"Wow…" said Nico, trying hard to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

"The chariot of the Moon is, of necessity, subtler than that of the Sun, boy," she said, and edge in her voice. "Plus, I get tax exemptions."

Will opened the back door and gestured for Nico to get in.

"No!" said Artemis, as Will made to follow him. "One in the front, one in the back. I'm not having any intimacy."

"We weren't -" started Will, but he rapidly wilted under his aunt's stare, and climbed into the front seat.

"For a chaste goddess, she has a mind which rapidly runs to suspicion…" muttered Nico, leaning over Will's shoulder.

"Right, you two," she said, settling behind the wheel. "The sooner we get started, the better!"

She put her foot to the accelerator, and the car leapt of the edge of the rock. It plummeted towards the iron-coloured water, before arcing upwards into the sky.

As Will struggled to retain his dinner, he wondered why, after all the trips they'd taken with the gods, they still agreed to go on even more…

* * *

**TBC. As ever.**

**Questions, comments, criticisms warmly accepted.**


	29. Flower Power

**Flower Power**

* * *

Nico recalled his flight in the sun-chariot. Artemis was a much better driver than Thalia. He wondered if, as a Hunter, Artemis ever let her drive this. He hoped not. What would happen if you crashed the moon, though? It wasn't like things would catch fire, like it did with the sun-chariot. Maybe, if you were over the sea, you might cause really high tides. Or something. It looked fun, though, even if t might lack the danger of the Sun. He wondered if Artemis might let him have a go -

"Nico?" said Will, breaking into his thoughts.

"Mmm?"

"Isn't Lake Avernus a Roman shrine?"

"Yeah, primarily. It was where Aeneas entered the Underworld, but the Sibyl of Cumae lived on its shores. That's why Aeneas went there. It was sacred to the Greeks first, but it was more important to the Romans. Mostly because it was closer to Rome, I guess."

"Ah. Right. So, what do you reckon we'll find?"

"How am I supposed to know? As you say, Roman. But, I suppose, there'll be some kind of disturbance."

"How will we tell?" mused Will.

"Have you ever seen Avernus before?" asked Artemis.

Will shook his head. He looked round to the back seat. "Nico?"

"No. I've never needed a surface way into the Underworld."

"Well, then, you should probably look at it now," said Artemis. She twisted the wheel and the car tilted to the left. Will hit his head against the window.

"Oww…" he muttered, before losing his voice to the view. The lake was perfectly circular, and sat in the landscape like the eye of a bird, staring up at the sky. A few scraggy trees bordered it, but, apart from that, there was nothing on view but miles of desolate grassland.

Something seemed a bit odd, though.

"Is it meant to be pink?"

Artemis shook her head.

"That would be how we tell, then," said Will.

* * *

Artemis peered into the lake. "This pink stuff - it's -" She dipped her hand into the water and brought it out again to show them "- rose petals."

Will picked one out of her hand and held it up towards the sun. He rubbed it between his fingers. "Huh. A real, natural, rose petal. These must have come from thousands of roses. What a waste." He sighed.

"Well, it certainly wasn't a waste to whoever put them here," said Nico. "It's been enough to completely wipe my powers, and done gods know what else."

Artemis grimly crushed the petals in her hand. "At least it makes it fairly obvious who's been behind this particular event."

"You wouldn't think she'd have it in her," mused Will. "She always seems so cheerful."

"It is very unwise to underestimate Aphrodite." Artemis' eyes flicked towards Nico. "Or any of her family."

Nico studied his shoes.

"Aha!" said Will, grinning.

"What?" asked Nico, staring at him.

"We need to see Piper."

"In California?" said Nico.

Artemis folded her arms. "I'm not taking you all the way back across the country. You should have thought of this while we were there."

Will blushed. "Sorry… Forward planning maybe isn't my strong point - but I'm not sure how we'd have known about the Artemis connection without actually coming here."

"We could Iris-Message her?" suggested Nico.

Will patted his pockets. His face fell. "Have you got any money on you?"

Nico shook his head. The pair of them turned, pleadingly, to Artemis.

"I'm not standing you a loan," she said, shortly. "You're mortals - you might never pay it back. Then she gestured to her robe. "Besides, where exactly do you think I'd keep money in this, anyway?"

Sighing, the boys went to turn away -

"But I can get you a message." She snapped her fingers, and a bubble appeared in the air in front of them. "I'm a goddess, remember?" she said, looking at their surprised faces, "I don't have to pay."

"I knew there had to be some perks," quipped Will. He peered into the message. "Piper? Piper?"

A familiar face bobbed into view. She looked rather confused. "Will? Nico? Artemis!" She bowed, her head bumping into the message. Wide-eyed, she took in the scene before her. "What's the matter? And is it to do with Will's hair?"

"I need you to try something for me," said Nico.

"Should I ask why…?" said Piper.

The three of them by the lake exchanged glances. "Probably not," said Will, slowly. Artemis nodded very slightly. Nico turned back to the message.

"Piper, concentrate on the earth around you. Can you feel anything?"

She screwed up her face. "No…" Then she gasped. She put her hand to her stomach. "I feel really _cold_!" She stared at Nico. "What is that?"

"The absence of life," said Nico. "Try finding something dead and bringing it to the surface."

Wary, Piper tried to do as he said. She wasn't sure how, but -

A tiny skeleton flew across the message. "What was that?" exclaimed Will.

Piper bent down and picked something up. She showed it to them. It was a collection of tiny bones, from a mouse, or something. She gaped. "How did I do that?"

"There's been a bit of a situation. Somehow, it seems that you've got my powers," said Nico.

Piper blinked. "And have you got mine?" She smiled excitedly. "You can feel the love between other people -!"

"No," said Nico, cutting her off.

"Oh."

"It's just a one-way thing."

"Are you going to explain it, or -"

"I'm not. But it's nothing to worry about. Will and I will fix it really quickly."

"Try not to experiment, OK?" chipped in Will. "You might get worn out, or end up in Mongolia, and no-one will be able to help you. We'll contact you again when we reckon we've sorted it out."

"Bye!" said Nico, nodding slightly to Artemis, who ended the message. Piper's dissolving face looked thoroughly confused, and more than a bit offended at the brusque dismissal.

"Remind me to cultivate you as a friend…" said Artemis.

"Huh?" said Nico, turning round. He ran his hand through his hair. "I'm a bit preoccupied."

"I suppose that we've just got to take all of these petals out of the water," mused Will. He looked at Nico and Artemis. "This is going to take us a while."

"Correction," said Artemis. "It's going to take _you two_ a while." She stepped back towards the car.

"But - you can't just leave us!" said Will.

"I'm not hanging around picking flowers out of a lake. I'm a goddess, dear nephew. I have things to do. Also, I can't be hanging around with two boys for too long. It just wouldn't do, even if you are no threat to my Hunters."

"Oh, Will's a threat," said Nico. "They'd likely challenge him to an archery contest, and he'd accidentally hit one of them. Or his own foot."

"Speaking of feet…" muttered Will, stamping on one of Nico's.

Artemis laughed. Then she leaned forwards, dropping her voice: "I'm going to have a little check on all the other gods. So don't worry, I'll still be working for the cause." She looked up at the sky. "Besides, the Moon can't be out in the day _too_ long. The mortals come up with all sorts of conspiracy theories about the world ending."

"It might be," pointed out Nico.

"It hasn't yet." Artemis shrugged. "We'll have to see."

"What if we need you?" Will nodded at Nico. "What if this doesn't work and he still can't shadow travel? And we're stuck in Florida?"

"Your father, Will, will be happy to assist."

"Really?" asked Will, eyebrows going up.

"Mmm. He likes you. And Nico."

"_Really?_" It was the turn of Nico's eyebrows to meet his fringe.

"Yep. Never shuts up about the pair of you." She rolled her eyes. "It's insufferable." She opened the car door. "I'll be in touch. If you really need to contact me, I'll tell Iris to let your messages through, so you can get to me directly." She got in and closed the door. "See you around, boys!" She frowned and ran her tongue around her mouth. "I don't say _that_ very often."

* * *

Will and Nico watched the tail-lights disappear off into the clouds. "Does that mean that we can't IM gods normally?" said Will, a thought running through his head.

"I guess not. They must have some kind of call-blocker. Otherwise they'd have loads of messages from their kids."

"I know. Then they'd have to, like, actually interact with them, and talk to us, and not just leave it all up to how we get on in life."

"Ooh, a bit of slipping from third to first person there, Sunshine. Someone has a problem with their dad."

"Like you don't."

"I don't. Genuinely. He's great."

Will sighed. "I know. He is. I wish he -"

"Do you?" asked Nico.

Will smiled wanly. "I suppose not. But I do wish mine was a bit more like yours." He sighed. "So, how are we going to clear this up?"

"Got any powers that you can use? I'm all out, at the minute."

"I don't think so," said Will. "I'm more of a back-up demigod.

"I knew I should have brought Jason with me instead of you." Nico cocked an eyebrow at Will. "You're just totally useless."

"Huh. Well, then you have a good time clearing everything up on your own, then." Will sat down on the lakeside and folded his arms.

Nico looked at all the petals. He looked at Will. He looked back at the petals. He groaned to himself. "Will…" he wheedled. "I didn't mean it."

Will didn't even blink, staring straight ahead. His blue eyes seemed rather cold.

"Please?" said Nico. "It was just a joke! You like jokes."

Will's jaw tightened.

"I can tell you another joke, if you like?" Nico kneeled down next to Will. "What kind of wind will we get today? Beans and onions!"*

Will looked at him impassively. Not even a hint of a smile. Though that could be due to the joke. Nico squeezed his eyes shut. He had to think of something…

When he opened them again to see exactly the same blankness gazing back at him, he hesitated for a moment, and then laughed. In the intervening time, Will's face _had_ changed, his lips puckered forwards. So _that_ was what he wanted.

Nico obliged.

And he was happy for doing so. And while doing so. Though, after a while, he began to worry that he hadn't taken a big enough breath when they'd started, and -

Will broke away. Nico took a gulp of air. He glared at his boyfriend. "You know that that probably just increased Aphrodite's power? Like, a kiss as some kind of sacrifice, or something."

Will shrugged. "A small price to pay for your redemption."

"Shut up. You put on that whole act for a kiss. And you say _I'm_ the needy one!"

Will blushed. "Maybe…"

"Now, we have some cleaning up to do. Any ideas?"

"A big net?"

"And where are we going to get one of those? From the magic net shop?"

"Well, we're resourceful young men. Maybe we could make one."

"Really."

"Yeah!" Will grinned. "Come on, once upon a time people hunted mammoths and came up with all kinds of cool stuff just by using their surroundings. We can do that!"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because you and me, we're totally outdoors-y."

Will patted the air with the tips of his fingers. "We can do it!"

"Yeah, maybe if you didn't turn your nose up at a bit of dirt."

"That's just good hygiene, Nico. Now, I reckon if we tied a few big branches together -"

"With what?"

"Um. Uh." Will looked around desperately. "We'll find something! We've got to!"

Nico sighed. This was going to take a while.

* * *

*Genuine Ancient Greek joke.

* * *

**Sorry for the little delay. I'm not quite sure when the next one will be up, but probably in the next couple of weeks.**


	30. Do Not Feed the Horses

**Do Not Feed the Horses**

* * *

"So, your bright idea is for us to tie our tops to a square of branches, and then use them as big sieves to get the petals out?"

"Yeah." Will raised his hands defensively. "If you've got a better one, then I'm all for it."

Nico thought hard. Really hard. Will could almost _hear_ him thinking. "Nope. I've got nothing."

"And that's plenty for me."

"What?" said Nico.

"It doesn't matter. I'll play it to you when we get back. It was from your time, too."

"Right. OK. Whatever. So, are we going to get going with this stupid idea of yours, then?"

"Yep. Can you see any big branches lying around?"

"If not, _I'll_ be the one climbing a tree. Don't want you having another accident."

* * *

Will beamed down at his handiwork. Two (roughly) square frames, tied together with rushes. He felt very practical.

"We're only half done, Will," said Nico, "so you can stop looking so pleased with yourself."

"Yeah, but the rest isn't hard. We just stretch our top across them, twine them tight, and then get going."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

Nico looked at Will. "So, um, why aren't you doing it, then?"

"Oh, er…" Will went red. "After you…?"

"You first. It was your idea."

"Yeah, but -"

"What are you embarrassed about?"

"What are _you_?"

Nico bit his lip. "True. This is stupid." He undid his highest button. And stopped. He looked down at his feet. "I - uh -"

Will laughed nervously. "Why is this suddenly so awkward?" With a deep breath, he pulled his t-shirt over his head. "There."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Gosh."

"What?" said Will, folding his arms.

"I just thought you'd be more muscular, that's all."

"Well, I'm not."

"So I can see."

"I am what I am. Tall, and kind-of average. Take it or leave it."

"I will."

Will looked at Nico, perplexed.

Nico grinned, and rolled his eyes. "Like I really care, Will! Now -" he undid the rest of his buttons, "let's get on with this."

Will ran his eye over Nico. "Shame. _I _care what you look like."

"Well, tough." Nico stuck his tongue out. "No-one else would tolerate a stupid ball of sunlight like you, anyway. You have no choice. Now, less childishness, and more tying."

"You started it."

"Did not!"

"Did too."

"Did _not_!"

"Did - _ow!_" Will pushed a little too hard on one corner of his frame, sending the other side swinging up into his face.

"Serves you right."

* * *

"So, now what?" asked Nico, looking sceptically at the jerry-rigged sieves that they'd made. Will really wasn't very practical.

"Now we use them," said Will, smiling proudly.

"We're going to have to wade in, aren't we?"

"Yeah," said Will. "Do you reckon it's deep?"

"It's Lake Avernus. It's meant to lead to the Underworld."

"So … that's a yes?"

"Uh-huh."

Will stared out at the petal-covered lake. He shuddered. "Are you sure that you haven't got a better plan?"

"Afraid of deep?"

Will knitted his brows. "What?"

"Like being afraid of heights," explained Nico, "only with water."

"Well - uh - yeah. I guess I am." Will bit his lip. "Who knows what could be down there?"

"The Underworld. That's what's down there."

"Thanks, Nico. That's so reassuring."

Nico put his arm around Will. "Remember, Sunshine, that I'm the _prince_ of the Underworld. Even if we end up down there, we'll be just fine."

Will brightened, and pulled Nico closer. "Now that _does_ make me feel better!"

They held each other for a while, feeling their hearts thump against each other's chest.

"Will?" said Nico, eventually. "You can let go now. I think we're starting to stick together."

With a jerk, Will peeled away from him. "Ready, then?"

"Yep." Nico suddenly looked thoughtful. "Of course, for all we know, Aphrodite could be ruling the Underworld now."

"Are you worried that we might be in danger were we to somehow end up there?"

"No. I'm worried that my bedroom might be _pink_!"

"It'll match with your new duvet cover."

"What 'new duvet cover'?"

Will decided that the water was probably the better option.

* * *

"You know," said Nico, begrudgingly, "I think this is actually working."

Will grinned. "Thanks!"

"I mean, it's hopelessly inefficient, and we're going to be here for hours, but, other than that..."

Will gave him a shove, sending Nico crashing under the water. Nico disappeared. Will frowned. "Nico? Are you -?"

He felt his feet get pulled from under him, and then he too was underwater.

"Nico!" he spluttered, his head going under. He thrashed around, trying to regain his footing on the shallow lakebed.

"You know, if you just acted calmly, and put your feet down, you'd be fine."

Will did as he was told, glaring at a very unflustered-looking Nico who now stood a few feet away. Well, at least, he tried to. His hair was sticking in front of his eyes. He pushed it back, feeling it flick his ears.

Nico looked around at the lake. "I think we've done most of it now."

"Yeah. Just that bit in the middle. Where it gets deep."

"I'm sure there's nothing scary out there. Except me."

Will rolled his eyes. "Yes, Nico. The world trembles before you."

"Mmm -"

A snarl rang out across the lake. The two boys twisted around, trying to see where it had come from.

"I didn't know horses could make that sound," said Will. He glanced at Nico. "Those _are_ horses, aren't they?"

"Four legs, hooves, long body, long head, blood-stained teeth, yep - horses." Nico froze. "Um. Did I say blood-stained teeth?"

"Yeah…" Will shook slightly. "I reckon these are the horses of Diomedes. They, um, eat people."

Nico looked at them. They looked like four ordinary horses. Two brown, two grey. Apart from the teeth, they looked totally normal. And apart from the way that they were pacing the edge of the lake staring at him and Will. And licking their lips. But that last bit might have been anthropomorphism.

"Are they licking their lips?"

"No. We just think they are."

"Right."

"Does it help to think that?"

"No. Not really."

"Do you think they're going to attack us?"

"I suppose that's why they're here. Maybe they're afraid of water."

"I think horses are, actually. So we might be safe in here." Nico peered at the horses hopefully. "Maybe all the rose petals we've put on the shore will distract them."

"Let's hope they don't put them back in," replied Will. "Oh, and, er, if they don't stay out, do we have a way of dealing with them?"

Nico put a hand to his hip. He froze. "I left my sword back on the shore. I didn't want it weighing me down in the water."

"So, if they do attack us, all we have are these wooden sieves."

"Good job you made them so sturdy, then."

"Thanks."

"I wasn't being serious."

"Also, thanks."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Right, well, in lieu of a plan coming from you, I reckon that we should swim out to the middle, collect as many of the petals from there as we can, swim to a bit of the shore, dump the petals, and then hope that it's enough to let me shadow-travel again."

"That's _a _plan, yeah."

"Got a better one?"

"When do we ever have more than one?"

"True. Now - swim!"

The pair of them pushed off from the shadows, paddling gently, not wanting to disturb - _anything_.

* * *

"It's quite cold now," said Will. They were pretty much dead-central in the lake. Not wanting to emphasise the 'dead'.

"Yes. Keep going, though. If we stop and think about it, I don't think we'll ever get going again."

"Is your sieve full?"

"Just about." Nico looked over his shoulder at the horses. "They still don't seem to have done anything."

Will checked. "Mmm. Looks like it. Still pacing. The two grey ones on the left and the brown one on the right."

"Say that again - there's three of them?"

"Uh-huh."

"Weren't there four?"

Will looked around. Yeah. There was one in the water. Coming towards them. He thought a lot of pretty panicked, pretty rude words. Nico didn't just think them.

The pair of them didn't think they'd ever swum faster in their lives. If they'd just been entered into an Olympic competition, they probably would have put the other competitors to shame. They might even have matched Percy.

At the shore, they launched themselves out of the water, catapulting the sieves and rose petals after them; many of the petals stuck to them, which would have been funny if the other three horses weren't galloping round the rim of the lake towards them. Horses might have been pretty bad at swimming, but they were excellent at running.

Nico dragged Will to the nearest tree. He had to really hope this worked, or they were trapped, with no way out, by water or by land. Why had Artemis gone?

They reached the tree.

"Will! Look!"

Nico held his hand into the shadow of a tree. His hand faded. It returned. He grinned at Will. "I'm back!"

Will put on a serious expression: "You know, I love you just as you are. You're powers aren't part of what makes you _you_ -"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever - we can go home, and I'm _awesome _again!" Nico remembered the horses. Well, 'remembered' - he saw them bearing down behind Will. "Oh, yeah - and we won't _die_, you complete and utter distracting _moron_!"

Nico gripped Will's hand, and the darkness tore into them. "Nico - no, wait - not to camp yet -"

Too late. Nico bent them through the shadows, and, with a sudden shock of reorientation, they burst into the light. In the middle of the dining pavilion.

The demigods at lunch stared at the two of them. Will waved half-heartedly. No-one waved back. They all seemed too startled to see them.

"Will," whispered Nico, "Is it me, or is it really cold -" He glanced down, and turned scarlet.

Will nodded. "Yeah. I tried to say before we left. Our tops are still tied to the frames. In Florida. With the man-eating horses. Also, we're soaking wet. And this isn't Florida anymore."

"Oops. But, on the plus-side, no man-eating horses."

"I'd say. Well, except maybe Chiron. Why did you plonk us down at lunch?"

"I guess I was hungry…"

Chiron was the first to break out of the trance that their arrival seemed to have created. He started forwards, frowning. "_Where_ have you two -"

Nico grabbed Will's arm, and they shot off again. In hindsight, their second disappearance only got them in more trouble, not to mention that it delayed their, frankly, rather important report. But at least they had some proper clothes on when they had to face it, which, since they were teenagers, and therefore obsessed with embarrassment, meant that it was worth it.

* * *

**I wasn't quite sure what they were going to do. So they did this. Hopefully not as long before the next update.**


	31. Nico gets Fan Mail

**Nico gets Fan Mail**

* * *

"But we've just proved that there's a conspiracy among the gods! I lost my powers! We almost died!"

"Yet you will both be cleaning the dishes for the next two months."

Will sat quietly in his chair, resigned to it. He waited for Nico to vent his spleen. That was a funny word. _Spleen. Spleeeeeeeen._ He shook himself. Pay attention.

"But _why_?" said Nico, leaning forwards. His fingers were gripping the arm-rests so tightly it looked as if his knuckles were going to pop.

"For the same reason that Artemis left you and Will by the lake; for the same reason that you both have kept this quiet for so long: we cannot let what you know become widely known. Open revolt of the gods cannot be countenanced! Not in this camp - especially not as we approach the start of summer."

"But secret revolt is OK?" shot back Nico. "It's not like it's not happening!"

"Yes, but it can't happen _here_!" Will was surprised at how strained Chiron looked. In fact, he looked angry with himself above all. "We're not prepared for it - I never anticipated - We have to stop this before it starts. For everyone's sakes."

"It's already started, Chiron," said Nico. "Aphrodite attacked the Underworld. She might have done it through influencing a shrine, but she was very effective. I lost my powers. Piper - and who knows how many other Aphrodite kids - gained influence over the dead." He took a sharp breath in, and glanced at Will. "Did we actually check -?"

Will nodded. "I sent her an IM when I went to change. She couldn't do anything. I didn't tell her anything else."

Nico squeezed Will's hand in thanks, and then turned his stern gaze back towards Chiron. "The gods are acting against each other. _Someone_ put the rose petals into the lake. _Someone_ sacrificed to Ares in Demeter's field. And the horses of Diomedes did not turn up out of their own accord."

"I agree, Nico. But we cannot just announce this to the camp. If it doesn't turn campers against each other, in line with their parents' allegiances, then it will turn children against parents. Can you imagine how destructive that would be?"

Nico pressed his palms against his eyes. "I know. I know. But Will and I can't handle this all on our own. We can't avert a war between the gods. Not just the two of us."

"Don't overreact, Nico. You're not alone. Artemis is on your side. I will do what I can in the camp; certainly I will be sending out satyrs to check on all the children of the gods that you suspect of this. Once people get to Camp, which they should be doing over the next couple of weeks, then I will be able to watch over them myself."

"And until then?" asked Nico.

"You maintain a low profile."

"And do the washing up," said Nico, sourly.

"Yes. Of course, I expect that it will take you a long time to do all of it each night, so I'll be exempting you from the curfew."

Will's mouth twitched up at the side. "Thoughtful. You never know when that might be useful."

Chiron smiled slightly. "I'm glad you understand." He leaned forwards. "So, tell me about this list, and what you found out last night."

* * *

"What now?" asked Will, stepping off the bottom stair.

"I think sleep is probably a good plan," said Nico. "Especially if we're expecting our 'punishment' to last all night."

"True enough. But it's still daylight… It feels unnatural."

Nico was halfway through rolling his eyes when his expression shifted. "My sword! It's still in Florida!" Nico let go of Will's hand. "I'll be right back!"

"Be care -"

He was gone. Will sighed. He hoped those horses weren't still hanging around. Or anything worse.

Will yawned. He really was really tired. Really. But he had work to do. Cabins didn't counsel themselves. He trudged back to his cabin. Nico always said that it was too bright. Nico thought brown was too bright. Will pondered the shiny cabin. What would happen to the cabins if the gods changed roles? Would the camp remain as it was, a reminder of how things used to be? If everything changed, though, he couldn't see the camp being allowed to stay like that. It would have to conform to the new regime. Or resist it.

But it wouldn't come to that. He hoped.

He opened the door. He noticed that there was a bag under one of the other beds, and a short rush of disappointment ran through him. Someone had moved back in. Already! He felt a bit guilty. He wasn't normally like this. He loved his brothers and sisters. He loved the noise and the life that they brought to the place. But, he had to admit, he'd grown quite used to the quiet over the last few months. No-one but him and Nico. And now there was someone else here.

"Hey?" he called out. "Is anyone there?"

A blonde head poked out from behind a wardrobe. Will didn't recognise them. "Hi," she said.

Will smiled. "Hi. I'm Will. I'm your -"

"Head counsellor?" she said. "Jason said that you'd be back soon. If Chiron hadn't demoted you. Has he demoted you?"

Will shook his head. "Why would I have been demoted?" he asked, testing what rumours were circulating.

She shrugged. "I don't know." She frowned. "Nicking something? Or was it necking…?" She trailed off. "I'm Claire, by the way." She offered him a hand.

Will shook it politely. "Nice to meet you. How are you finding Camp?"

"Good so far." She looked at him warily. "You're not a serial thief, are you? Or -"

"No. Neither," said Will, quite hurriedly, and trying not to go red. "But, if you go near Cabin 11, make sure you don't have anything valuable on you." He made an apologetic face. "They don't do it maliciously, but, it's kind-of genetic."

She nodded. "Hermes, right? I think that was on the film."

"Oh, so you've seen that? Great - and how much else did Jason show you?"

"Pretty much everything. He seemed not to have very much to do."

Will bit his lip. That was probably going to change. He smiled at her again. "Then there seems very little practical information that I need to give you. Is there anything that you want to talk about, though? Sometimes, coming to Camp Half-Blood can be quite an upsetting experience."

The girl shook her head. "I woke up one morning with a light shining over my head. Mum recognised it, and brought me here. Apparently Dad left a letter detailing what to do."

Will nodded. Knowing Apollo, he probably had loads of pre-written copies in which he only changed the name. "So, no monsters, or anything?"

"Nope. Is that unusual?"

Will thought. "Not that unusual; it probably means that you'll be able to go home most of the year. But we'll have to keep checking it, and keep in close contact. But for this summer, you'll be training to defend yourself just in case -"

He was interrupted by a shriek from Claire. She jumped backwards. "There's a -"

"Hi, Nico," said Will, not turning his head.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Who else would it be?" Will dropped his voice. "And who else would be trying to wrap his arms around my waist? And - hey!" Will hopped away from Nico, his face burning red. Laughing, Nico stepped around his boyfriend and smiled apologetically at Claire.

"Sorry about that," he said. "I didn't mean to startle you. I didn't think there was anyone else here but Will. I'm Nico."

She opened her mouth, and did a very good impression of a goldfish for a few moments. "Hi… I'm Claire. What did you do to Will?"

"Nothing, really." Nico glanced at Will, who had almost returned to a normal colour. "Are you new?"

"Yeah. Will was telling me about what I'd be doing this summer, and Jason gave me the tour."

"Looking forward to it?"

"But what is 'training'? What am I training for?"

"To kill monsters. To save the world. To impress boys." Nico winked at Will. "Or something like that, anyway."

"Why are you here?" asked Will, a little wary. Nico was being very friendly. It was rather odd. Unnerving, even.

"It's dinner time. I came to collect you." He offered Will his arm. "Coming?"

"Only if we walk there." Will looped his arm through Nico's.

"Wouldn't dream of abandoning Claire. She's new, you know." He held out a hand to her. "Come on. You must be hungry."

Gingerly, she took his hand. "Who exactly are you? And where's 'dinner'?"

"Nico. I'm with Will. Jason didn't show you where we have meals?"

"_With_ with?"

"Uh-huh."

"Cool. Are you always this abrupt?"

"Yes," said Will, raising an eyebrow. "Not normally this friendly. You must have done something right."

"Well, she did." Nico nodded at the poster on the wall. Will hadn't given it much notice.

"Oh. You're a Mythomagic fan, then?" said Will.

The girl nodded, and blushed. "Is that really nerdy?"

"Well, since round here it's actually _real_, I'd say it's more like good practice," said Nico.

Will bumped Nico's hip. "You would."

"Got a problem with that?" Nico tugged on their hands. "Come on. I've heard they've got anything-you-like tonight."

The two of them let themselves be dragged along by Nico as he swept through the camp, only stopping when he reached the Apollo table. Once there, he let go of Claire's hand, and she sat down. Nico smiled at her. "Sorry. Will and I will only be a minute."

In a blink - as usual, horrific - they were in Nico's cabin. Will narrowed his eyes at Nico. "_What_ is going on? I've got to take care of Claire!"

Nico looked a bit guilty. "I'm sorry. I had to talk to you."

"What's the matter?"

"Well, I went back to Florida. My sword's gone."

"It hadn't been chucked in the lake?"

Nico shook his head. "I would have been able to feel it. It's been taken." He looked around. "And that's not all."

"What?"

Nico dug around in his pocket. "There was a note." He held it out to Will. The page had a faint smell of lavender about it, even despite being crushed in Nico's pocket with whatever stuff he had in there.

Will read it. He went paler than Nico.

* * *

**...**

**Reviews always welcome.**


	32. In the Dark

**In the dark**

* * *

_Dear Wico and Nill,_

_It's such a shame that you two have got involved in this - you're too, too cute together. But you're going to have to die. I suppose that you might have gathered that from Diomedes horses. But, you escaped. I have no doubt that you'll have scuttled off to Chiron and told him the whole thing. And you're probably thinking that you've foiled us with that. Everything's going to be exposed._

_Perhaps._

_As Will will know if he knows about his dad's relationships in the past, there once was a girl named Cassandra. And that, Will's dad being nowhere near as nice as Will himself, once Cassandra refused to let him have his way with her, he cursed her never to be believed in her prophecies. As it turns out, such an effect can be procured without a curse, but through the use of specially treated rosewater. Only in small doses, of course. A mild case, perhaps, would be where people seem sceptical of something that, to you, seems perfectly reasonable. Of course, were someone, say, to take a long swim in such water…_

_Well, who knows what might happen. They might not even believe themselves. Especially if what they had to had to say was a bit far-fetched to start with._

_So, blab away. See if it does you any good._

_Love,_

_Your Auntie Aph._

_P.S. Ares says your sword is broken. It doesn't cut through anything._

_P.P.S. He also says to remind you that, just in case, we're going to kill you. It's not personal._

Nico had not, from his time knowing Will, expected the length or virtuosity of the swearing that came out of his mouth. The air was positively _blue_ by the time he'd finished.

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Finished, sailor?"

Will blushed. "_Darn_."

"So, Chiron probably doesn't believe us anymore."

"No."

"We're going to be on dish-washing duties for real."

"I'm not sure that that's the thing of biggest concern, Nico…"

"It'll play havoc with my skin!"

"I thought _I_ was the prissy one."

"We can both be the prissy one if we want to be. No need for old-fashioned stereotypes here."

Will sighed. "Fine. But that's not the real issue here. We're back on our own. Again. And this time, we can't even tell anyone even if we wanted to."

"And now they know we're on to them. And they've threatened to kill us."

Will gulped. "Uh-huh. Do you think they'll succeed?"

Nico tipped his head from side to side. "I hope not." He wrinkled his nose. "I've survived worse."

"I don't think I have."

Nico grinned. "Well, practice makes perfect!"

"Are you actually pleased about this?" asked Will, disbelief arched across his eyebrows.

Nico shrugged. "It means that there actually _is_ something serious going on. And that they think we're a threat - so maybe they're not as confident about it working as they want to be."

"Maybe… Are we really on our own?"

"We're going to have to work on that assumption."

"Great." Will stared blankly at the letter, trying to find something useful in it."

"Hang on, though!" said Nico, suddenly slapping his head into his hands. "I can't believe I was so stupid!"

Will stared at him. "In what particularly…?"

"We told Artemis. Way before we got to the lake. She'll still believe us. The curse surely isn't retroactive."

"I wouldn't bet on it," said Will. "You never know with curses."

"Well, why don't we IM her and check?"

Will shrugged. "May as well know one way or the other. Got a drachma?"

Nico opened the top drawer of his desk. It was packed with gold coins. Will rolled his eyes.

"What?" said Nico.

"Nothing, nothing…" said Will. The Apollo cabin as a whole, even when full, probably only had about five drachmae between them. "I'll get the basin."

He wandered through to the bathroom, and hunted around for the little gadget that created spray. All the cabins had them now; Will wasn't sure it was that great an idea, as he reckoned it made people _more_ homesick, not less. But it was useful. If only he could find where Nico had put it. He supposed that Nico didn't use it very often, preferring just to go and see people. But it had to be here -

Aha! He pulled it out of the cupboard. It was about the size of a dinner-plate, but deeper. It worked by - well, Will wasn't quite sure how it worked. He'd not paid attention to the explanation Annabeth had given. You pressed a button, and the water from the bowl squirted through some little nozzles, creating a fine mist. Vacuum-powered, or something.

He filled up the reservoir, and brought it through to Nico. "You've got so much junk in that cupboard!"

"It's mostly Hazel's…" said Nico. He scowled at Will's dubious expression. "It is! Do you think I use all that conditioner stuff on my hair?"

Will ran his hand through Nico's hair. It was really very soft. "Yes, Death Boy, I'm pretty sure you do."

"You know, given the seriousness of what could be happening, I wouldn't have thought you'd have the time to make fun of me."

Will grinned. "Well, I don't like to disappoint!" He sat down, leaning against the side of Nico's desk.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Shall we just get on with it?"

"You're the one with the money, dear."

"Oh. Yeah." Nico bit his lip sheepishly, and reached up into the drawer for a coin. He threw it into the spray that the little machine was making. "O goddess, accept my offering, and show me Artemis."

The water shimmered, and then turned opaque. A rainbow rippled across its dull grey surface. "I'm sorry," said a voice from nowhere, "you don't have access to this recipient."

Will leaned forwards. "Lady Artemis gave us permission! I'm sure she just hasn't got round to it yet."

The rainbow ran over the message again. "I can only accept what has been expressly communicated by the goddess. I'm afraid that your assurances aren't enough. I cannot set a precedent of demigods calling gods uninvited."

"No," muttered Will. "We couldn't have them talking to their kids, after all."

"It's an emergency!" pleaded Nico.

"Tell me, and I will pass it on to her."

"I - we can't." Nico frowned. "Just tell her that it was us, OK? She'll know why we called."

"I will leave a message for her. She does not usually respond to demigods, though, and especially not to boys."

Will and Nico exchanged a look. "Well, we might be the exception."

"If that is what you wish. But expect to be disappointed."

"Oh - how long do you think it will take?" asked Nico.

But, before he had even reached the end of the question, the rainbow had disappeared, and the panel had returned to being a fine mist of water.

Nico thumped his fist against the side of his bed. He tried not to let Will see his eyes watering at the pain. "Turn it off," he grunted.

Will obeyed. "What now?"

"I guess we wait."

"In here?"

"Yeah. We don't know when she'll get back to us. We don't want to be in the middle of a bunch of campers when she does. Or the whole 'secret' will be blown, and everyone will be in danger."

"Shame. I was quite looking forward to dinner." Will patted his tummy. It rumbled in response. "I'm getting pretty hungry. Especially since we missed breakfast and lunch."

"Welcome to my old world," said Nico, smiling wryly.

"The one which left you on the point of starvation?"

"You eat more than enough most of the time, Will. A day off won't do you too much harm."

Will looked affronted. "Are you saying I overeat?"

Nico raised an eyebrow. "You're forever saying I under-eat. Can't I return the favour? And as evidence, I would say that no-one _needs_ seven potatoes."

Will flushed. "That was _one time_. I was hungry!"

"Well, think of this as 'one time', too."

"But I'm also _hungry_."

"Tough."

Will pouted. "Have you not got something to eat in one of those drawers?"

"No. Oh - and if the potatoes was 'one time', what about that 'other time' when you ate two pizzas?"

Will went pink (and felt slightly queasy at the memory). "That was a bet with Jason!"

"Really?" Nico leaned forwards, interested. "What did you win?"

"He agreed to butt out of our relationship."

Nico's eyes widened. "Oh - that was about six months or so ago! And he's been much less … uh, owlish since about then. Huh."

Will smiled. "See. The things I do for you."

"Yeah. Eating pizza. A real trial."

Will grimaced. "Are you kidding? The indigestion was _terrible_ all the next day."

"Poor you." Nico turned around to lean next to Will. He put a hand on Will's tummy. "And poor _you_."

Will snorted, then nuzzled the top of Nico's head. That hair really was soft. He narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend. "When - and why - did you start with that conditioner? You've never really been one for that kind of thing."

Nico stared at his shoes. "I wanted to look better for you. I was always such a mess. I thought -"

Will laughed. "For _me_? You shouldn't have done that!" He pulled Nico into a hug. "Really. You shouldn't change anything about yourself just because you think I would prefer it."

"But I wanted to. I like trying to make you happy."

Will kissed him on the forehead. "_You_ make me happy. Nothing you can do can improve or detract from that."

"Still, do you not like me better when I'm all preened-up?"

"Nico, I fell in love with you at a time when most of your day consisted of being sick into a bucket. I have pretty low standards for outward appearances."

Nico buried his head in Will's chest. "Thanks for reminding me about that period in my life," he said, his voice muffled.

"Any time," said Will, his lip twitching up.

Nico pulled his head away, and looked up at Will. "Just to confirm, though, _do_ you like my hair like this?"

Will bounced his hand off Nico's fringe. "Yeah. It _is_ adorably soft."

"Good. Then I shall continue to do it."

"Well, I suppose it gives you something to do in the morning." Will checked his watch. "How much longer do you think -"

Will tried to shoot back as a disc appeared in the air in front of them. Sitting against the desk, he just banged his head, but, not wanting to draw Nico's attention, bit his lip to hold back the cry of pain.

A rainbow bent across the disk, and, again, the voice from everywhere sounded in their ears. "I'm sorry, but your call was declined. Artemis did not recognise you. Nor, I should warn you, was she pleased that you had tried to use her name to try and convince me."

The disc vanished.

Will raised his eyebrows. "So the curse _is_ retroactive, then?"

Nico frowned. "That doesn't make sense. How is that even possible?"

"Gods know."

"You know, I bet they really don't," sighed Nico. He raised his eyebrows. "That could mean that what Aphrodite says isn't actually true. It might wear off. Or it might not work on everybody."

"But we can't rely on that."

"I guess not. So we're going to be spending some long nights trying to contain this."

"It's a date." Will corrected himself: "A series of dates."

"Mmm. Right. Let's go back. But we've got to be careful at all times."

Will got up and stretched. "OK." He went towards the door.

"How's your head, by the way?" teased Nico.

Will scowled. "Fine."

"Liar."

"Yeah? What about your hand?"

"No comment."

* * *

**Been a while, sorry. Hopefully more soon, once I work out what's going to happen next...**


	33. Waterworks

**Waterworks**

**(Part 1)**

* * *

"You know, I've often wondered: if the food appears on this by - let's call it magic - why doesn't it disappear in the same way?"

Will sighed. "Probably just in order for there to be a punishment like this."

"True." Nico

"I can't believe that they make us use lava, though," said Will, gingerly turning on the tap. "It's super dangerous!"

"That's because it's not lava."

"Huh? But it looks like lava!"

"Really? You have a lot of experience with lava, Sunshine?"

"Well, uh, no, but - it's exactly like the stuff on the climbing wall!"

"Sorry to break it to you, but that isn't lava either."

"What!" said Will. "But people come in with burns all the time."

"If it actually was lava, it wouldn't be burns that they would be coming in with, but missing limbs. And, likely, dead from the convection heat. It's hot, yeah, but not volcanically so."

Will rolled his eyes. "All my illusions - shattered."

"That's what you get for believing everything that they tell you. It's just -" Nico licked a gloved finger "- water. _Hot_ water, yeah, but just orange-dyed water." He grimaced and put a hand to his mouth. "Actually, really _quite _hot water… Ow!"

"Say 'Ah'," said Will.

Nico opened his mouth obediently.

"Tongue out," ordered Will. He then proceeded to kiss it. "Better?"

Nico nodded. "That felt really weird, though. Do people normally kiss each other's tongues?"

Will thought. "Probably not, no." He looked forlornly at the sink. "So it's not lava?"

"Nope."

"Why keep it orange in these sinks, then? Why bother?"

Nico shrugged. "Percy likes blue food. Maybe Chiron and Mr D. like orange stuff. Who knows?"

"Mmm."

Nico dipped a plate into the sink and scrubbed it. Somehow he'd managed to get hold of a black rubber glove. Which was odd, because the only ones Will had managed to find had been pink. Maybe Nico had picked up something else from Midas…

"Will?"

"Yeah?"

"What's your favourite colour?"

Will looked sideways at him, his mouth twisted into a half-smile. "What?"

"What's your favourite colour?"

"Why do you ask?"

Nico shrugged. "Just curious. I mean, we've been together nearly a year, and I have no idea what it is."

"Why would you? It's not as if people go around telling each other that, is it?"

Nico shook his head. He snorted. "Though it's always something you learn in language classes."

"True." Will wrinkled his nose at a lump of food stuck to a fork. What was it that people asked for?

"But, I still feel it's something I want to know. What if I want to get you something, but I have multiple colour options?" Will rolled his eyes, but Nico carried on: "Besides, you know mine, so why shouldn't it be reciprocal?"

"What, that it's black?" Will smiled. "You make _that_ rather obvious. Even if it'"

Nico laughed. "Yeah. Maybe I do. So - let me guess… Yellow?"

"No. It's not actually."

"But loads of your stuff's yellow - and -"

"And?" said Will. "Unlike you, I don't have to splash my favourite colour over everything." He sighed. "Plus, people seem to think that it suits me. At least if I'm wearing it I can't see it."

"Then what do you like?" probed Nico.

"Purple."

Nico blinked. "Wow."

"It's just a colour, Nico. No need to read too much into it."

"Huh. I never would have thought that. Especially with your dad… Not yellow? Huh."

"Well, actually, I kind-of hate it. It only ever seems to come in 'bright'. Other colours have different _shades_. Not that _he'd_ bother to find that out." Will threw a bunch of cutlery into the sink with uncharacteristic violence, and then squeaked as the hot water splashed back at him.

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Why do I always get the feeling that you have unresolved issues with your dad?"

"Because I do, Freud."

"I wasn't really implying _that_ kind of issue, but…"

Will rolled his eyes. "Neither was I, Nico." He sighed. "And, to be honest, they're not actually unresolved. I've weighed everything up, and I've come to the conclusion that I don't like him."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, let me put it this way - from when I found out about it until I got to Camp, I thought it was really cool. I wasn't just the miserable blonde orphan who, though I attracted loads of potential adoptive parents, kept getting sent back because weird things used to happen - my dad was a _god_. But then I came here."

"What changed?"

"I met all the others."

"They've all had multiple relationships -"

"The first kid I met here was six weeks younger than me. Six. Whole. Weeks. He couldn't even control himself from having another lover, and another kid, just six weeks after getting my Mum pregnant. She probably didn't even know she was pregnant. Maybe he was even starting his new relationship even before I was conceived. And then the next, and the next: in all there were - still are - five kids in the Apollo cabin who are at most nine months younger than me. Five kids conceived before I was born. And that's not to mention that there were three children no more than nine months older than me. I, and my mum, was to them, and their mothers, what those kids represented to me. Proof that my dad didn't care. And I felt awful about it. I felt so guilty that my existence demonstrated that other people weren't loved."

"Will, that wasn't your fault -"

"I know it wasn't. But I couldn't help it. I care about people, Nico. It's what I do. My dad doesn't. Not people. Not _mortals_. He doesn't see that what he does hurts people. Or, if he does, it doesn't bother him. I hate being involved in that cycle. I love all my brothers and sisters. A lot. But I can't stand the stupid, thoughtless, self-indulgent reason that we all exist."

"Will -"

"I don't know if the others feel like that. Maybe I'm just overly attuned to it. And maybe they think I should accept him as he is - a dad's a dad, and I never knew my mother. But I can't let him off like that. Just because I'd like a parent, and just because he _is_ my parent, doesn't mean that I think of him as one. He's never acted like it. He doesn't deserve it."

Will blinked, and, for the first time in a while, looked at Nico, who, also for the first time in a while, was speechless. Will coloured rapidly, and tried to hide that he was crying. "Um. Uh. I - I'm sorry. Your probably weren't expecting me to - I didn't mean to -"

Silently, Nico put his arms around Will. His boyfriend was actually _shaking_. There were things you were supposed to say in these situations, he suspected. But he didn't for the life of him know what they were. So, instead, he hugged Will tightly, hoping that that would communicate whatever it was that those words did.

It appeared to be enough, though, for, after a little while, Will coughed, and pulled away. "So, are we actually cleaning these dishes?"

"Well, yeah. Otherwise Chiron will get mad at us," said Nico. He wondered if he should try to say something - but, again, he didn't know what.

"But I thought we were going to be using this time to save the world?"

"We are." Nico grinned and snapped his fingers. Two skeletons appeared. "And _they_ are going to do the cleaning." Taking Will's hand, he stepped back into the shadows.

* * *

They popped back into the visible world in a grubby back-street. Will pulled a notebook out of his pocket. Nico raised a curious eyebrow. "I've made a list of all the major sacred sites in the US." He scanned the list. "So this is … Athena."

Nico nodded. "Yep. Come on." He led Will across the road to a slightly dilapidated building.

Will squinted up at the sign. "Alexandria Public Library." He checked his book. "I thought it would've been bigger. And better maintained." He looked at the sticker on the door. "Hey! Late opening."

As they went for the door, it opened, and out came a young woman, who, not noticing them, turned around and started to lock up.

"Isn't it open late tonight?" asked Will, coming forwards.

She turned in surprise. "It _is_ pretty late. And I'd quite like to get home. It's not like there's anyone wanting to take a book out anyway."

"We might!" said Will. She didn't look bothered, though. Time to turn on the charm. He leaned against the door and pushed his hair back. "You couldn't just spare us ten minutes…?" He smiled. "I'd be so grateful." He fluttered his eyelashes. (That always worked on Nico.)

She snorted. "No. You and your boyfriend can make-out somewhere else. I'm off home. _Bye_."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving a rather put-out Will staring after her. "But…" he mumbled.

"When are you going to learn?" sighed Nico. "That really doesn't work."

"But how did she know that I was - that we were -?"

"Will, it's practically tattooed on your forehead."

"I don't understand. _You_ always cave."

"Well, that's the difference, isn't it? Idiot."

"But how are we going to get in -"

Will blinked at the bookshelves around them. Nico let go of his hand. "Oh."

"Idiot," sighed Nico.

"I always forget that you can just do that."

"Yeah. You do."

Will smiled. "Yeah. Well, anyway, we'd better get on with what we're here to do." He peered at one of the bookshelves. "Made of olive. Unusual."

"As expected," said Nico.

"So, there should be some kind of central point, particularly sacred. We check the aisles?"

"We check the aisles," agreed Nico. "You left, me right."

Quickly, they went up and down the rows of bookshelves. The air had the funny smell of ageing books, cut through with the tang of olives. How that happened just from the wood was anyone's guess. The two of them met up again by the issue desk at the far end of the hall, though not simultaneously - Will got slightly delayed by a particularly interesting book of anatomy.

"Anything unusual?" asked Nico.

Will shook his head. "It must be somewhere else." He looked around. The library was gloomy, and, because of that, probably larger than they thought it was. Who knew where the shadows led? Come to think of it, looking up, he could hardly see the ceiling. But… "Nico?"

"Yeah?"

"What's that up there?"

Nico followed Will's finger. "Some kind of balcony? Let's have a look."

He gripped Will's arm and, in a moment, they were now looking down at the rows of bookshelves from a narrow wooden ring that followed the edge of the building. There did not appear to be an identifiable purpose to it, at first, until they saw the carvings on the balustrade. Each one was of a different kind of owl, with enough space in the back for a candle.

"Huh," said Will.

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Is that all you've got?"

"Well, we did come here _expecting_ a temple of Athena, right? And here it is. As it was and will be."

"As it _was_, maybe," rang out a voice from below. "I wouldn't be so sure about _will be_."

The two of them exchanged a worried look before leaning against the edge to look down into the library. A man shuffled out of the dark aisle. He looked like he'd been made from the spare parts of a normal person, put together by someone who wasn't sure how people worked.

"Hephaestus…" murmured Will.

The god looked up at them and gave a lopsided smile. The only kind, judging by his mouth, that he could give. "Really sorry about this, boys," he said, raising his right hand, which burst, with an eerie familiarity, into flames. "But you can't say you weren't warned."

* * *

**Reviews always welcome.**


	34. Fireworks

**Fireworks**

**(Part 2)**

* * *

"Not in a library!" cried Will.

Nico stared at Will in astonishment. Even Hephaestus paused in the action of forming a fireball.

"Um … Really?" said Nico. "_That's_ your concern here?"

Will frowned. "Yeah…?" He squeezed Nico's hand, hard.

"Will - _ow!_"

Will glared at him. "Not _in_ a library."

Now Nico frowned. "What? I don't -"

"Are you two quite finished?" called up Hephaestus. He launched the yellow-orange streak at them.

In the last seconds, Will squeezed Nico's hand again, and jerked his head.

"Oh!" Nico's eyes widened in understanding.

Moments later, a fireball exploded where they were standing, leaving nothing of that section of the balcony but ashes. Hephaestus watched the charred fragments drop to the floor. He felt a bit guilty. But the others would be glad to know that he'd got rid of them. And it had been easier than he'd expected. They hadn't even put up a fight.

* * *

The pair materialised in a couple of bins a few alleys away from the library. "I was in a bit of a rush…" said Nico, as Will sullenly picked rubbish out of his hair. "And he might have had reinforcements outside the library."

"True." Will wrinkled his nose. "But a _bin_? What is this, some kind of slapstick movie?"

"I thought you liked them."

"Ha. Ha." Will pulled a banana skin off his shoulder. It had only been a few moments, but somehow he knew that he was going to stink for hours, even with a shower. "If you'd been any slower back there, we'd be dead."

"And I was supposed to read your mind?" huffed Nico.

"You can _teleport_. Why didn't _you_ think of it?" said Will, exasperated.

"I guess I'm more used to fighting than running away."

"We had no choice! He's a god. We'd have been mincemeat. Or barbecued burgers, more like."

"Percy managed to defeat Ares."

"Neither you nor I are Percy. And Hephaestus is definitely not Ares. He's got a brain, for a start."

"I guess. Weird, too, that he and Ares are on the same size." Nico scowled. "Plus, I've lost my sword, and I'm left with this bronze thing." He prodded his sword irritably, letting it waggle at his hip. He looked at Will. "And you. A liability if ever there was one."

"Thanks."

"Any time." Nico sighed. "I don't suppose there's much else for us to do here. Let's get back to Camp." He reached for Will's hand.

"We can't," said Will, pulling away. He looked anxiously at Nico. "We're dead. Hephaestus thinks he's killed us. If we go back to Camp, he'll know we're not."

"So what? Won't that just prove to him that we're harder to kill than that?"

"But they'll just try again. Hephaestus came here explicitly to kill us."

"How do you work that one out?" asked Nico.

"Gods can't interfere in each other's affairs. They have to get us to things for them, remember? If he'd wanted to deface Athena's temple, he'd have had to get a demigod to do it for him. He came himself because his business was with _us_. They've probably been watching all of the holy sites in order to ambush us."

"But why does that mean that we can't go back?"

"Because I think we're probably better off dead."

Nico frowned. "I don't follow, Will."

"If they think we're dead, then they won't be looking for us anymore." Will spread his hands. "We can move much more freely, and with less fear of ambush."

"But we can't go home?" said Nico.

Will shook his head. "Not until we know we can trust people there."

"But what about our friends?"

Will bit his lip. "I know they wouldn't betray us - though they might not, of course, believe the reason. I guess we can let them know that we're still alive, but to get them to keep it secret."

Nico rubbed his head. "That's the first thing we need to fix - how to get rid of that curse."

Will nodded in agreement. "We're going to need to do some research."

"And I reckon we should start in that library."

"Wait until he's gone, and then go in?" suggested Will.

"Well, I wasn't advocating us going in _before_ he left…"

"Funny." Will's expression suddenly changed, and, with a groan, he slid down the bin, resting his back and head against it. "But, actually, I'm not sure that it matters. I don't know if we can stop the war now, even if we did manage to alert everyone."

"But they're not strong enough yet," said Nico, sitting down next to him. "All the gods still have their powers. We've made sure of that."

Will shrugged. "I don't think they're bothered. They're confident - maybe, if we're lucky, overconfident. But they've fired the first shot."

"How?"

"You and me. In 'killing' us - though, if we're honest, it's _you_ that's the important one - they've started the war."

"But none of the other gods know about it!"

"How will your father react when he hears that you're dead, Nico?" Will stared blankly ahead of him. "The world will be in ruins by tomorrow evening."

"I doubt it," said Nico.

"No, Nico, I wouldn't. He really loves you. Unlike - anyway. You're the most important person in the world to him. I think he'd -"

"_No_, Will, he won't," said Nico, smiling slightly at Will's incomprehension. "He's the ruler of the Underworld, as if anyone could forget. He'll know I'm not actually dead."

"Then we'd better contact him as soon as possible."

"Done." Nico melted away before Will could say anything else.

Will fidgeted anxiously as he waited in the alley. He couldn't help feeling vulnerable. He would never admit it, but without Nico, he was kind-of defenceless. He had a knife, but, really, most swordfights were _sword_fights. He wondered what would happen now. He'd not anticipated that the other gods would actually try to kill them so directly. Was it really the best thing to have them believe that they'd succeeded? He'd convinced Nico, but he wasn't sure that he'd convinced himself. How long would they have to pretend for? How long _could_ they pretend for? And what would happen in the meantime? What would be the consequences of them 'dying'? What would his siblings think?

Will sighed. He'd not expected to have to think on his feet like this. Where were they going to go? They had no money, no change of clothes, no food, nothing. No knowledge of whether the curse was liftable, or what they might do if they managed it.

He shook his head. No. That wasn't the way to think. He had to be logical. What would Annabeth do? After keeping Percy in check. Right. As they'd discussed, they'd go to the library. There might be something useful there. And, after that? Maybe back to the lake, to gather a sample. There also had to be some god or creature that might know about it. A neutral or friendly one, too. One who didn't know them, preferably. And maybe they could hint to other people about the rebel gods. Gather evidence that proved that what they said was true - so that they didn't even have to say anything. They didn't even need to be around when it happened. Help Chiron, and the others, to help themselves. But would it all be too late?

"Why are you staring at the wall?"

Will jumped back with a yell, staring crazily at Nico. "Don't _do_ that!"

"Shh!" Nico dropped down beside him. "There could be anyone around. Right, so I spoke to my dad."

"What did you tell him?"

"That he might hear that we were dead, and that he was to go along with it for a while."

"Did you tell him why?"

"I said that we were in danger and needed to get out of sight for a while. He offered that we stay in the Underworld -"

"We can't!"

"I know. Too many minor gods and goddesses, all of whom might have grudges. Far too risky. So I gave him a polite no, and left."

"And he was cool with that?"

"I didn't stick around to see."

Will bit his lip. "He won't be happy."

"Well, hopefully by the time all this is over he'll have had bigger things to worry about and he'll have forgotten."

Will raised an eyebrow.

Nico groaned. "I'm totally screwed, aren't I?"

"Uh-huh."

"You're so reassuring, Will, you know that?"

Will grinned. "Trust me: I'm a doctor."

"You really aren't."

"Fine. Trust me: I have nice teeth."

Nico screwed up his face in confusion. "Why would that work?"

"It does on commercials for toothpaste."

Nico rolled his eyes. "_Anyway_… Shouldn't we work on sorting this out? Making our resurrection come a little quicker?"

"OK. Library, then?"

"Yup." Nico held out his hand.

"What if he's still there?" asked Will.

"Then we shadow-travel straight back out again."

Will sighed. "Things got serious fast, didn't they?"

Nico looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, there we were, not six months ago, idly speculating on how bits of the world work, and then it turned out that there were gods doing it do - but to get power. Now we're stuck as the only soldiers of a side that doesn't even know that there's going to be a war! And we're officially dead!"

"Could be worse."

"How?"

"We could be _actually_ dead."

"True. _Ugh_ \- why does this always happen?"

"We're demigods, Will. It's kind-of the norm."

"Why do I always feel 'demi' rather than 'god'?" Will threw a sour expression at the sky. "All _his_ fault," he muttered.

Nico went to take Will's hand to shadow-travel, but hesitated, and turned to face him head on. He rubbed the back of his head, not meeting Will's eye much. "Will, about earlier, I - I didn't know what to say, and -"

"Nico, you didn't need to say anything."

"I know, but I want to now, and I think I've worked out what, and, since it looks like things in the world are going to rapidly get worse, I want to take this moment to -"

"Ramble on?" laughed Will.

"Please, Will, let me finish. I'm not one for the sentimental stuff -"

"You totally are."

"_Will_!"

Abashed, Will ran his finger and thumb over his mouth like a zip, and then stared expectantly at Nico, his face totally deadpan. Nico had to struggle to stop himself cracking into a smile.

"Will, I - I just wanted to say that _I'm_ glad that you exist."

Will kept looking at him, his eye wide. He pointed to his mouth and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes," sighed Nico.

"I'm glad you're glad." Will's mouth twitched up at the corner. "That wasn't why I pointed at my mouth, though…"

Nico blushed, pushed up on his toes, and kissed him. "Better?"

"Perfect." Will put his arm around his boyfriend. "You don't have to reassure me, you know. Because you're different to Dad. You don't have to love me, but you do. And, to me, that's better than anything."

"OK, now _you're_ going all sentimental."

Will pouted. "You started it!"

Nico blinked. "You're a child, you really are."

"Takes one to know one."

"Shut up. We are, after all, going to a library."

Before Will could get out another quip, they were yanked through the darkness, to pop out into the empty library.

* * *

**Reviews always keenly sought.**


	35. Afterlife

**Afterlife**

* * *

"You know, Nico, when I said we shouldn't come back to Camp, I didn't mean that we should _come back to Camp_."

Nico looked blankly at Will, and then around at his dark cabin. "What? Were we just going to sleep on the street?"

"We're meant to be dead! We can't pretend to be dead from insideyour _cabin_!"

"Not if you start getting all loud and stressy like that, no." Nico glared at Will, who, since it was dark, couldn't see, and so took no notice.

"But we'll get found out really quickly. I mean, are we going to sneak out to get food from the magic tables?"

"Of course not." Nico sniffed. "We'll eat elsewhere."

"And isn't this the first place they'll look for us? Especially since, um, you know, we're a 'us'?"

"Well, we won't be here when they come. We can be out during the day and only back at night. It'll be fine. Provided we leave before it gets light. We just need a bed, Will."

"Two beds."

Nico punched him lightly. "You know that's what I meant." He wrinkled his nose. "And occasionally a shower."

"Are you implying that I smell?"

"Not yet, Will, not yet."

"I don't! Not ever! I'm fastidious."

"That's what we're calling it…"

"Yes. We are."

"Well, regardless, Sunshine, we need to sleep."

Will yawned. "I'll admit I'm tired. And this bed feels comfy."

"Then lie down on it and sleep. We'll leave in the morning."

Will smiled to himself. "_You'll_ be ready nice and early?"

"Well, no. _You_ will be, though, and you've got a knack of making me do things I don't want to do."

"True. OK, then." Will stretched out on the bed. "See you in the morning. And I mean with the sun!"

There were a few moments of quiet and then -

"Hey!" hissed Will, jumping as much as he was able as he felt Nico slide into the narrow bed with him. "This is, like, not appropriate! And I thought we'd said _two_ beds."

"Well, first, you've actually laid yourself out on _my_ bed. Second, if there are two unmade beds, people will get suspicious when they check in here. Third, if needs be we can make a quick shadow-travel out of here much more easily if we're right next to each other."

"Hmm. Compelling."

"And I didn't get to my fourth reason."

"What's that?"

"It's quite nice."

Will put his arms around Nico. "You're not always wrong, Death Boy."

* * *

"Uggh?"

"Shadow-travel us!"

"Wftpftpft?"

"Anywhere! Now!"

Nico sat up, rubbing his eyes. Will had disentangled his arms from him, and was getting to his feet, looking around the cave they were in.

"Delos?" asked Will.

Nico ran his tongue around his teeth and grimaced. He stretched. "Yeah… First place I thought of." He yawned. "What was the - the - the - what's it called…" He stared blankly at Will, who stared blankly back. "The problem. What was up?"

"You really aren't a morning person, are you?" Will frowned. "Someone was knocking at the door."

"You're sure? You weren't just dreaming this?"

"No. I was awake. The sun came up at five. I've been awake since then."

"And it's - what? - half-six now?"

Will checked his watch. "About that, yeah. Or, uh, it would be if we weren't in California. I guess it's, um, half-three in the morning."

"What did you do for all that time?"

Will blushed. "Watched you sleep. You're pretty cute."

"In a threatening way?" asked Nico, hopefully.

"Not at all, I'm afraid."

Nico scowled. "I wish you wouldn't say things like that. I have a reputation to keep up!"

"Not to me," pointed out Will. "I know that you're as soft as a kitten and twice as fluffy."

"But you'll tell _other_ people," huffed Nico. "You say it's only half-past three here, not half-past six?" Nico rubbed his eyes. "Gods, I didn't even know there _was_ a half-six in the morning."

"Well, there is, Death Boy. Get used to it."

"But it's definitely half-three now?"

"Yeah."

"Excellent. I can get some proper sleep. Bye!"

"Nico! This is serious. We need to get working on this. We'll probably be travelling around all over the place, so it doesn't really matter what time it is."

Nico scowled. "How come when _you're_ tired, we stop for sleep, but when _I_ am you treat it like some kind of wasteful extravagance?"

"Because we've had pretty much the same amount of sleep, and I'm fine, so you're just being lazy."

"That's not very tolerant of other people's body-clock-needs," grumbled Nico. "Especially for someone pretending to be a doctor."

"I don't pretend!"

"Yeah, because all those times when you roll your sleeves up, get the stethoscope out of the desk drawer and stare longingly at your siblings' stuffed animals is all totally normal behaviour."

"I don't - how do you know about that?"

"Sometimes I like to sneak up on you as a surprise. But I wouldn't want to embarrass you by interrupting one of your teddy-bear vaccination clinics."

"But embarrassing me now is fine?" squeaked Will.

"I'm tired and cranky. Anything could happen. You're lucky we didn't fall into the sea just now."

"Like you need an excuse to be like that. But, come on, Nico, this is really serious - they wanted us dead."

"Yeah, I _know_. I was there."

"But you're not helping me do anything about it!"

"Fine." Nico sat up. "Let's review what we found out in the library." He pulled a face. "Oh yeah - _nothing_."

"Nico -"

"It was a waste of time, Will! There was nothing about Cassandra's curse, nothing about how we might stop gods from taking each other's powers, nothing about anything that might be useful."

"Well, I wasn't exactly thinking that we'd find, you know, written instructions on how to -"

"Did we find anything _close_ to what you thought we might find?"

Will coloured. "Uh. No."

"Well, then. Am I right or not?"

"I still don't think it was a waste of time. If we hadn't tried, we wouldn't have known."

Nico grunted. "Maybe. Not much of a consolation, though." He sighed. "Which meant we were extra-tired when we got back. And we didn't get a proper sleep."

"There was someone there! I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, but just flashing off into the world. No time to get ready in the morning."

"Then I guess it's lucky that neither of us needs to shave yet."

"Soon, though! Look!" Nico pointed to a single wispy hair on his chin.

Will rolled his eyes. "You'll have a beard in no time…"

"You know, I might have a soft spot for you two, but I'm not letting you use this place as somewhere to make-out."

Startled, Will leapt away from Nico. Nico reckoned this something of an overreaction. They hadn't even been that close to each other. But now Will had made it seem like there _had_ been something going on. Sometimes his boyfriend just didn't realise how his puritanical paranoia which made him seem constantly guilty could have the opposite effect.

He bowed to Artemis. Will did the same.

"Was there something you wanted?" she asked.

Will frowned. "Soft spot. You remember us, then?"

"Why wouldn't I? I took you from here to Lake Avernus. I've been on your side, looking out for anything suspicious." Artemis frowned at them. "Is something wrong?"

Will was silent, so Nico spoke. "It looks like the water in the lake was cursed so that no-one would believe us when we told them about the conspiracy. I don't know what it does to them, or what it makes them think of us, but they definitely forget what we've told them on that specific subject."

Artemis nodded. "Yes. I've heard of such a thing." She grimaced. "My brother, in his cruder days, could make that happen. I've no doubt that the effect could be synthesised."

"Can it be un-done?" asked Nico.

She pursed her lips. "I'm not sure. I know that when my brother did it, it used to be permanent - at least until the thing came true. But, if it was some kind of artificial effect… I suspect it will wear off in time."

"But you know what we're talking about?"

"Of course. I already knew, before you went into the water." She hesitated. "I also know that you are presumed dead."

Nico's eyebrows shot up. "By everyone? Already?"

"No. I overheard Aphrodite complaining about it _of course _having to be her favourite couple that died."

Nico flushed crimson. She'd taken that much of an interest in them?

Artemis' mouth twitched up at the sides. "Would you like to explain why she might think that you are?"

"Hephaestus tried to kill us," said Nico bluntly. "She and Ares had already tried, indirectly, at the lake, by surrounding us with Diomedes' horses. We got out, but, when we were checking out one of Athena's libraries, Hephaestus turned up and blasted us with a fireball. We escaped at the last moment. For all he knows, we're charcoal."

"But you're staying dead?"

Nico nodded, and glanced at Will. "Will said - and I agree - that we're safer like this. If they think we're dead, then they won't be trying to kill us." He looked at Will again. "Will?"

Will glanced absent-mindedly at them. "Yeah. Oh - yeah. Huh?"

"Zoning out?" said Nico, smiling a little. "Told you that we needed more sleep."

"What? No. Soft spot?"

Artemis frowned. "Are you OK, Will? You look like you've been smacked between the eyes."

"It's shock, probably," said Nico, putting a hand on Will's shoulder the way he'd seen Will do dozens of times with other people. "He did nearly get killed tonight. Will, it's OK -"

"I can't believe I was so stupid…" Will said.

Nico blinked. "Well, you know, we all have our -"

"Or any of us," said Will, his voice faint.

"Careful," muttered Nico, "goddess present -"

"Nico," said Will, "I think we've all missed something really important. And quite dangerous."

* * *

**...**

**Reviews earnestly sought.**


	36. Morning Meetings

**Morning Meetings**

* * *

Dark.

Not pitch black; it was a lightish dark, the type that told you that there was light somewhere, though not, at present, here. A very dark grey. If you wanted to, you could see things through it. Though, if you didn't want to, it just remained a blank void.

Somehow, even that managed to look blurry.

Putting out a hand to his bedside table, he picked up his glasses, and brought them to his face. The blankness sharpened. What was there to bring into focus? Gods, he didn't know.

Hmm. He had his glasses on now. That meant that he was ready for the day. His bed was comfy. But - He sighed. He'd never go back to sleep now. His mind was awake, so he'd better bring the rest of him with it.

Jason sat up and yawned. As he did every morning, he saw the statue of his father looming out of the not-quite-total darkness. Hi, Dad. He got out of bed. As he did every morning, he collected his clothes and took them into the bathroom for dressing. Thanks, Dad.

As he turned the shower on and kicked his pyjamas off, he wondered, as he did _almost_ every morning, whether it would be possible to get rid of it. None of the other cabins had it. Sure, they were all quirky, and had unique features - think of those coffin beds! - but none of them had anything that was quite so intrusive. And, yes, he knew it was just a statue, but, you know. He'd been around the weirdness far, far, far too long to just trust that things were 'just' anything.

He stepped under the stream of water and tipped his head back. He jerked it forwards again, spluttering, as he realised (as he did more mornings than he liked to admit) that he'd forgotten to take his glasses off. Putting them on a towel, and getting water _everywhere_, he hopped back in. There. Warm water flowing all over him. This was nice. Much nicer than his earlier years in the Legion. Being centurion and Praetor had been OK, but just as an ordinary member? He almost shivered at the memory of the empty tank of hot water. The Greeks were soft, yeah, but softness wasn't all that bad.

He unhooked a bottle of shower gel - Piper insisted that it was 'better for his skin'; Jason didn't see what was wrong with soap, and thought that his skin was just fine. But he didn't argue. Of course, he mused, squeezing a dollop onto his hands, it probably wasn't quite as toasty if you were at the back of the queue in one of the bigger cabins. Poor Will. He bet that he'd spent years letting everyone else have their turn before him - probably even as counsellor he didn't take the first one. Then again, he probably used Nico's now. Maybe they both did at the same ti-

Maybe he should stop thinking about that. He didn't reckon they did anything more than kiss, for the moment. And they were fifteen! He shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, shaking his head to dry his hair, like a dog, and wrapping himself in a fluffy towel, not like a dog. Once he was totally dry - he hated it when he put his jeans on when his legs were still slightly wet - he dressed, and went back into the main room of the cabin. There was Dad, again. Hi. Totally not thinking about two fifteen-year-olds making out. No. Gods, Dad would probably _approve_ if he had been…

He made a half-hearted attempt to make his bed properly, balled up his pyjamas, and shoved them under his pillow. He opened the curtains. He rubbed his chin hopefully, and was, as every morning, disappointed. Right. Morning routine - done.

Why was everything blurry?

He headed back to the bathroom. He'd get used to wearing glasses _eventually_…

* * *

Breakfast was Jason's favourite meal of the day. Well, top three. To be honest, it was the lack of variety that put him off it a bit. You could only have, like, cereal, or toast, or eggs, or pancakes, or waffles, or bacon, or yoghurt, or fruit, or … OK, OK, maybe there was quite a bit of variety. But, somehow, it always felt the same. Like it was a meal he had to eat, rather than one he enjoyed.

Will always said (mostly to a disbelieving and sleepy-looking Nico) that it was the most important meal of the day. Jason had heard that, too. He wasn't sure he believed it, though. It depended what you were doing for the rest of the day, surely? Well, what did he know? Will was usually pretty reliable on the medical stuff. He had to be - Nico tended to check, mostly just to prove him wrong. He was glad that he and Piper didn't bicker like that. It was scary, sometimes, how into it they got. And it wasn't, as you might have expected, Nico who started it, most - or at least half - of the time. Will was really quite sarcastic, once you got to know him.

Actually, speaking of the prickly pair (Jason felt very _\- far too_ \- pleased with himself for that) - where were they?

He frowned. There was that new Apollo girl, on her own. She looked a bit lonely and confused. It wasn't like Will to abandon a new camper. Usually _they_ ran away from _him_, just to get a few moments of peace…

Jason carried his yoghurt (Greek, of course…) over to the Apollo table. "Hi."

The girl looked up. "Oh - hi. You're … Jason, right? You showed me round."

"Yeah. Uh - was it Clare?"

"Yeah - but with an 'i'."

Jason went to nod, before frowning in confusion. "How did you know -"

"People never do," she said. She held her plate up, and a slice of toast appeared. She buttered it, smoothing the spread all the way to the crust. "Good this, isn't it? Not like other summer camps I've been to."

"No…" said Jason. "That, it isn't." He licked the lid of his yoghurt. "Is everything OK?"

She nodded.

"And Will's not bothering you?"

"I've barely seen him." She looked at Jason. "Should I have?"

"He's normally around. Why's he not here? I can't imagine him sleeping in."

"No, he wasn't." She shrugged. "I thought _I_ was up late, and he was already here. Is something wrong? Is there something he needs to do?"

Jason pulled a face. "He's supposed to be looking after _you_. Making sure that you're settling in OK."

"I'm fine, really," she said. "I've got a schedule, and the other campers seem friendly, even if there aren't that many of them around yet."

"Oh, they are," said Jason, distracted.

"I don't want him to get into any trouble because of me - he seemed really distracted yesterday."

Jason smiled. "Any trouble he gets in will be entirely of his own making. What's your first session?"

"Arts and Crafts." She wrinkled her nose. "That seems a little bit _tame_, doesn't it?"

Jason grinned. "You haven't seen the workshop!" His expression turned serious. "Make sure you listen to all the safety instructions, OK? It might be boring, but you might really hurt yourself. Ask Will, next time he decides to show up." He swung his legs over the bench and stood up. "And I will try and find out where he is."

"Do you know?" she asked.

Jason's mouth quirked up at the side. "I have a little idea… But it's nothing for you to worry about."

* * *

So, maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe the two of them really were… Huh. And to think that Will still blushed when Nico kissed him. Maybe that was _why_!

Jason almost giggled, and then felt very ashamed of himself. No. They were probably just sleeping over. Stayed up late, past curfew, and Will couldn't be bothered sneaking back to his cabin. Or he fell asleep, or something.

He thought back to last summer. It had been fast, that was certain. One minute, it had seemed, it was Nico and Will, friends, and the next it was Nico-and-Will, boyfriends. It had been pretty sweet. Neither of them had seemed to expect it. Nico had maintained a bewildered expression for days. Will just looked thoughtful, though it was, for him, quite a common expression. For a while, Jason had teased Nico by claiming that Will was a substitute for himself. He'd stopped, partly because he recognised how devoted they were to each other, but mostly because Will casually remarked (he never did anything in a threatening way) that he could set Jason's broken foot to point in any direction he wanted. Even back to front. Then he'd beamed, set the splint properly, and bounced off across the infirmary.

Will, Jason reasoned, was not someone to be underestimated. People (and monsters) consistently did, though, probably because he was normally stood next to Nico. But Will didn't seem to mind being overshadowed by Nico. Metaphorically. Or, given what Nico could do with shadows, maybe not.

He reached Nico's cabin. Should he knock? Nah.

"Oh, _William_!" he called out, flinging the door open.

He expected a muffled (or possibly not) curse, a groan, two people who may or may not be clothed and may or may not be tangled up in each other, and, probably, something thrown at his head.

He did not expect the empty room.

"Nico?" he called out. "Will?"

He peered into the bathroom. Empty. The towels were all hanging up, unused. He went back into the bedroom. Only one bed was crumpled - he knew it was Nico's. He put his hand a little way under the covers, feeling a little bit of a weirdo as he did so. Cold. That wasn't that odd - Nico _was_ cold.

Jason looked around the room. He checked under the beds. No-one. He looked at the big wardrobe. The pun-centre of his brain lit up. They wouldn't be in there, would they? That would just be too funny. He opened the doors of the closet with a flourish.

Nope.

He frowned. Well, they weren't in here.

So, where were they?

* * *

**...**

**(Tee hee.)**

**Reviews, even shouty ones, warmly welcomed...**


	37. I'm IMing, I am

**I'm IMing, I am.**

* * *

"Hey."

Percy blinked as Jason's face suddenly appeared in front of him. "Hey. What's up? You look pretty agitated, bro."

"Is Nico with you?"

Percy frowned. "No. Why would he be?"

"Is Will there?"

"Also no. And he has even less reason - or ability - to be here than Nico. Why do you want to -"

No Jason.

* * *

"Hazel!"

She blinked. "Jason?"

"Are Nico and Will there?"

"In Camp Jupiter?"

Jason nodded hurriedly. "Yeah. Are they?"

She raised her eyebrows. "No. Are you expecting them to be?"

"Not particularly." Jason seemed quite flustered. "Are you _sure_ that they're not there?"

Hazel hesitated. "Well, I mean, they _could_ be somewhere in the Camp, or in New Rome. Just the same as they _could_ be anywhere…"

"Can you keep an eye out for them?" asked Jason.

"Of course - but what would they be -?"

"Thanks!" said Jason, before waving away the IM.

Hazel frowned. What was that all about?

* * *

"I've heard Jason's looking for Will and Nico. What's that about?"

Piper shrugged. "I have no idea, Leo. I'm not his secretary." She frowned. "How did you know, anyway?"

"Percy IM-ed me. Asked me to keep an eye out."

"And you're calling me because…?"

"Uh," Leo looked puzzled, "Same reason, I guess…?"

"I'll watch for them. But if Nico doesn't want to be found -"

"You won't find him. I know, I know. But blame your boyfriend. He started it."

* * *

"Annabeth!"

"Jason - are you looking for Percy?"

"No, for Nico and Will. Have you seen them?"

"Not outside an IM, and that was weeks ago. Why? Should I be worried?"

Jason shook his head. "I'm sure not. Oh - hi, Percy!"

Annabeth turned to see her boyfriend enter the room. He scowled at Jason.

"Didn't you trust me?"

Jason looked flustered. "No, it's not that, it's just that I didn't know how much time you two spend together. Nico or Will might have gone to just see Annabeth."

"But why? I'm _awesome_!" Percy looked at Annabeth, crestfallen. "Did they really come and see you and not me?"

* * *

"This would be way easier if we could just phone them."

"Weren't _you_ working on that?" asked Frank.

"Kind-of…" muttered Leo, looking embarrassed. "I get distracted. It's quite hard!"

"Yeah, well, maybe this shows why it should be prioritised!"

"OK, OK, don't get your feathers in a twist! Shouldn't you be out searching for them anyway, hawk-eye?"

"I'm on it, alright?"

Frank ended the call. He thought about what Leo said, and changed himself into a bird. Leo wasn't always wrong.

* * *

"Kayla?"

Kayla blinked. "Hazel?" She dropped her voice. "If people are gonna' keep contacting me, I'm going to get found out. You all may be at camp, or home, but I'm still at school."

Hazel looked apologetic. "Sorry…" She frowned. "_You all_?"

"Jason, and Percy. And no, I haven't seen Will. Or Nico. Which is what you're probably after, right?"

Hazel nodded.

"And, by the way, why did nobody tell me that _Nico and Will were dating!_"

Hazel looked at her, eyes wide. "You didn't know?"

"No!"

"But you're Will's favourite sister." Hazel hesitated. "You knew he was gay, right?"

Kayla snorted. "Will? Duh. There are things living under rocks in South Africa that know that Will's gay."

"But you didn't know about Nico?"

"I left Camp a bit earlier last year. Not long after the War. I guess I missed it. Will's gonna' be in so much trouble when I get back there."

"Well, it's 'back there' where there's the problem. They've vanished."

"Yeah, so Percy and Jason said. Is this a thing that they're prone to do?"

Hazel wrinkled her nose. "Not really. But I don't know whether we should be too worried. Nico's probably shadow-travelled them somewhere and doesn't have the strength yet to make it back."

"Well, I'll keep an eye-out for if they coming speeding through Kentucky."

"I'll keep you in the loop."

* * *

"Reyna!"

"Jason?" The praetor looked up. "Hi - nice to see you -"

"Have you seen Will and Nico? Or Will or Nico?"

Reyna frowned. "Who's Will again?"

"Nico's boyfriend? Son of Apollo? Quite tall, and really quite camp?"

Reyna looked blank.

"You must know _Will_!"

"I have a lot of people to deal with here, Jason."

"But this is Nico's boyfriend - he came for Sol Invictus?"

"With the funny blonde hair?"

Jason's eyes lit up. "That's the one! Have you seen him?"

"No."

"Oh."

"You're sure? Wears violently coloured shirts, follows Nico around with bug eyes - if Nico isn't following him - then they bicker -"

"Yeah, Jason, I now remember the guy. But no, I haven't seen him recently."

"And Nico?"

"Inasmuch as Nico ever wants to be seen, no. But that's no guarantee that he hasn't actually been around."

"Will you check New Rome for me? Just in case?"

"Of course. Why do you think they might have left Camp Half-Blood?"

"I don't know." Jason shivered. "But I'm starting to get quite worried about what might have happened to them."

"Have you told Chiron?"

Jason shook his head. "I don't want them to get into trouble, if it turns out that they're just, like, out on a date, or something."

"He might have given them permission," pointed out Reyna.

"True." Jason looked thoughtful. "Keep in touch, OK?"

She nodded, and ended the call. She frowned to herself. How to search the whole of the city for two people who, in all likelihood, didn't want to be found… She groaned. Why was Nico so secretive?

* * *

"No, I haven't seen Will. Or Nico."

"Thanks, Hazel!" said Percy.

* * *

"Jason?"

"Rachel -"

"I have no oracular information on Will or Nico. And why are you IM-ing me? I'm, like, only a couple of hundred metres away."

"Walking time is wasted time!"

"Jason -!"

Rachel closed her eyes. Just because she hadn't got anything on Will or Nico didn't mean she couldn't _try_.

* * *

"Sorry - do I know you?"

"Ah - wrong number," said Grover. "I didn't know you could do that on an IM…"

* * *

"Malcolm!"

* * *

"Piper!"

* * *

"Mummy, why is there a person in the wall?"

"Oh, sh-" muttered Percy.

* * *

"Jason! Have you seen Will and Nico?"

"Sorry. Not seen them." Jason blinked at Travis. "Hang on - _I'm_ the one looking for them!"

"Oh, sorry, man - all I heard was that it was a general hunt for them both."

"Tell me if you find them!"

* * *

"Should we be more worried about this, Annabeth?" asked Reyna. "I mean, we've got lots of people looking, and we still can't find them."

Annabeth tipped her head from side to side. "I'm honestly not sure. I think part of the problem is that we're seriously overlapping in our searches. You're the fifth person to contact me so far. But that doesn't advance the search. We've got to centralise if we're going to do this effectively."

A bubble appeared by her head. By now, she was totally unfazed by their sudden appearance. "Hi, Leo," she said. "I'm guessing you've not seen Nico either?"

"Don't need to explain things to you, do I?" said Leo. "But, if you do -"

"I see what you mean," said Reyna, cutting across Leo's prepared statement. "There's an awful lot of repetition."

"It's not helped by the fact that Iris-messaging is so inefficient. You can only do one thing at a time."

Reyna frowned. "Or do you…?"

Annabeth blinked. "What do you mean? Yes, you _do_."

Reyna shook her head. "I can see - and talk to - Leo." She waved. "Hi, Leo!"

"Hi, Reyna!" he said. "Look, I've got to be going -"

"Stay," said Reyna, her voice stern. Leo froze. "Good boy. Now, if I can talk to you through Annabeth's IM, then -"

"You could arrange them in some central location so that we can all see each other?" finished Annabeth.

"Exactly. Then we could co-ordinate better. So we're not all doing the same thing."

"I'll tell Jason," said both girls at once.

* * *

"Hey, hey - everyone just _calm_ _down_," said Piper. "Why don't we just try IM-ing _them_?"

"Because we don't know where they are," pointed out Annabeth.

"Sometimes Iris can find people," said Piper. "And, maybe, if they are at somewhere we know, like in New Rome, we can try and guess their location."

"That's going to take a lot of drachmae," said Percy, digging into his pocket. "In fact, she must have made a mint today already…"

Hazel waved a handful at them. "I can do it from here."

"Doesn't that devalue the system…?" mused Annabeth. "I mean - all it would take was -" She started scribbling some figures down, and was soon preoccupied.

"Um. Just a thought," said Kayla. They all looked at her bubble. She blushed. "If Nico and Will are … somewhere where they don't want to be found, will they, uh, want us to find them?"

Jason bit his lip. "A risk we'll have to take. If that's all it is, then, frankly, I'll be glad. OK, Hazel, try Camp Half-Blood first -"

"Jason?"

He turned. Chiron stood at the door of his cabin, staring distraughtly at the array of faces inside.

"What's wrong?" came the general chorus.

"It's Nico and Will." The centaur bent his head. "They're -"

"Missing, we know," said Jason. "And we're just about to start searching via IM -"

"No, Jason, everyone, they're not missing. I've just had word: Nico and Will are dead."

* * *

**I promise we'll get back to Nico and Will next time. Promise.**


	38. Will finishes a sentence -

**Will finally finishes a sentence -**

* * *

"Will?" asked Nico. "You've been sitting there with your mouth open for … well, it seems like weeks."

Will frowned. "I'm sorry - I don't know what came over me there…"

"Well, while you try and slot your brain back into the gap, I'm going to be letting our friends know that we're OK. OK?"

"Yeah - wait, Nico! No!"

Nico frowned. "What? Why?"

"That's what I was going to say: it's Iris. _She's_ the link."

Both Artemis and Nico stared at Will.

"What do you mean?" asked the goddess.

"It's the reason why, earlier, when we tried to contact you after we got back from Avernus, you couldn't be found. It also explains how the gods knew about our investigations - we IM'ed everyone. And, if we're not careful, it's how _our_ plans will be found out - any time we've used an IM we've been vulnerable to eavesdropping. It's Iris. She's dangerous."

Nico blinked. "But, she's so nice! She's helped demigods - she and Chiron have been friends for years!"

Will shrugged. "You know how quickly allegiances rise and fall among the gods."

Artemis looked sceptical. "Will, you've never met Iris. I've known her a very long time, and -"

"I know it's crazy." Will ran his hands through his hair. "But I really think that she's the one co-ordinating this."

Nico and Artemis exchanged glances. Neither of them really agreed with Will, but he seemed very convinced by his conclusion. And, if he was right, then it was pretty serious.

"She's also pretty much retired from overseeing IMs, anyway," pointed out Nico. "Remember -"

"And how do you know that?"

Nico thought. "Well, uh, Iris said it to -"

Will nodded. "Exactly. How do we know that she was telling the truth?"

Artemis frowned. "Strictly, we can't _know_, but…"

Will shrugged. "It's not like I _want_ this to be true."

"So what do we do?" asked Nico.

"We don't IM anyone, for a start. That, for us, isn't actually too much of a problem, since you can just visit them." He looked at Artemis. "But you're going to have to be more careful. Get the word to everyone that we know is on our side. IMs are no longer safe to use. Iris - as much as it pains me to say it - is not our ally."

Artemis nodded solemnly. "If that is the case, then we will have to be very careful. Any plans, any discussions, anything that we might have to say to each other we must say in person from now on. At least until we can prove that what you say is true or false."

"Will you tell the others?" asked Nico.

"Yes. But -" She caught Will's jerk forwards. "- I will be careful only to tell those I _know_ I can trust. And what will you two do?"

"Keep out of sight for as long as possible," said Nico. "Play dead."

Will nodded. "And, while we do that, find out as much as we can about what - and, yes, _if_ \- Iris is planning."

"Then we should move quickly. You two are fine for transport?"

Nico nodded. "Back to normal."

"Excellent. See you boys around, then."

The pair of them covered their eyes as she changed, and disappeared.

Will turned to Nico. "Where-"

* * *

Lurching out of the vortex, Will staggered briefly, and squinted into the darkness. Another cave? Somewhere dangerous? "Where are we?" he whispered.

Nico reached down and turned on a lamp. "My room."

Will glanced round. It was indeed Nico's room, just as he remembered: black bed, the skull, the Mythomagic posters, the - his breath caught momentarily in his throat - the picture of himself on the bedside table. He didn't remember Nico taking it, but it was quite recent.

Nico noticed where Will's glance had lingered. He blushed, but tried to cover it up by sighing, rolling his eyes, and putting the photo face-down. "Narcissist," he said.

Will raised an eyebrow, not fooled. "You know, just between you and me, you _are_ allowed to be sweet from time to time." His lips twitched into a half-smile. "I won't tell."

"And somehow I don't trust you."

Will rolled his eyes. "Why have we come here? Why _didn't_ we come here last night?"

"It's safe here. As much as can be expected. And - as for why we didn't come yesterday, I was worried that some of the gods might try to visit my father. I wouldn't have wanted them finding us in the palace. Especially with you here."

Will frowned. "Why me?"

Nico opened the curtain to expose the window. From here, all you could see was mile after mile of Asphodel. No wonder he kept it closed. "You see the faint light everywhere?"

Will nodded. "That's the light down here, isn't it? It was like that the last time."

"Yes, it is what it was like last time. But that's not normal."

"It isn't?"

"No. Last time you were here, I wondered about it -"

"In the boat. I remember. I thought it was just in general."

Nico shook his head. "No. I mean, I _did_ mean it like that at the time, but, after I thought about it a bit more, I realised that it actually was unusual, and not just a peculiarity of this place."

"So what's the solution?" Will turned away from the window. "And why are we talking about this?"

"It's because of you, Will." Nico let the curtain fall back into place. "I'm not sure why, but, down here, you have the effect of brightening the whole place up."

Will frowned. "The whole of the Underworld? That seems a bit unrealistic. Besides, I feel really drained when I'm here."

"Exactly. It's not because you're underground, but because you're unconsciously channelling your energy into brightening the Underworld."

"Really?" Will looked sceptical.

"Well, try and make it stop," suggested Nico, raising the curtain again.

Will wondered just how he was meant to do that. How to stop something he didn't even know he was doing. Think about the dark? Think about drawing energy into himself - oh! That seemed to work. A bit. He didn't feel as tired. Maybe he should try to think like Nico. Could he really control the light like Nico controlled the shadows? That seemed like a bit of a convenient power-up. But maybe his dad was helping out. For once.

"Will?"

He blinked. Nico was staring at him, a smile on his face. He pointed out of the window. Will followed Nico's finger with his eyes. Outside, it was dark. Not completely - not black, more purple. "Huh."

"That's all you have to say?" asked Nico.

"Um. Cool, I guess."

"Looks like you've got another power that isn't poetry. Or the ability to use language in an interesting way"

Will smiled. "I'm not even sure my dad really _is_ the god of poetry. Well, if you want more: so you reckon I _can_ manipulate light like you can darkness?"

"Yes, but only in places - like this - where light is rare. Up in the world, there's an over-abundance of light. Anything you do is dwarfed by the Sun, and so you don't notice it. You might not even be able to do anything at all. But, down here, you have your own powers."

"Well, that'll make hanging out down here a little more bearable."

"Hopefully we won't be here too long. We'll manage to nip this thing off before it gets too -"

There was a rapid knock on the door. Will and Nico froze, unconsciously holding their breath.

"Nico?"

"Dad?" called back Nico.

Hades poked his head around the door. He nodded to Will, and then stepped inside, shutting the door (newly patched up) behind him. "There's trouble."

"How?" asked Nico.

"Your friends."

Nico blinked. "Ah."

"They noticed quite a lot faster that you had gone missing than I presume you expected. They searched for you, and then found out from Chiron that you'd both been killed."

Will paled. "And then what happened?"

"In short, uproar. The Grace boy has been particularly distraught, firing off inquiries as to what happened to you."

"And have they found out yet?" asked Nico.

"Not yet. But, given his contacts among the minor gods, I'm sure it won't be long."

"And what happens then…" mused Will, staring into the middle distance. He raised his eyebrows. "Civil war in the camp?"

"It's always difficult to tell how closely children follow their parent," said Hades. He shrugged. "The anger in the camp could be sufficient to unite the children _against_ their parents."

Nico snorted. "They'd still lose."

"Not if the rest of us joined them."

Nico looked up at his father. "And are you going to do that?"

Hades leaned down and put his hand on Nico's shoulder. "They tried to kill you, Nico. Can you even begin to imagine how angry I am?"

Nico stared into his father's eyes. He quickly looked away; he was glad that what he had seen was directed at somebody else. "Thanks," he said, his voice small.

"Whatever happens, Nico, never think I'm not on your side." Hades then looked at both boys seriously. "Is there anything that you've found out?"

Nico looked at Will, who answered: "I think that Iris is involved. You should treat IMs as dangerous. If you have to use one, don't say anything you wouldn't want someone that you didn't trust to hear."

"And how far are you with establishing a pattern?"

Nico looked thoughtful. "Ares, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus have all played their hand - but only, so they think, to us -"

"Whom they think dead," said Will.

"So, they might be complacent now," continued Nico. He looked at his father. "Keep a look-out for anything unusual."

"And you're still thinking of the 'abstract' gods, right?" Hades asked. "Hera and Hermes being the other ones that you suspect?"

Will nodded.

"Is it really that much of a problem?" asked Nico.

Will frowned at him. "Do you not remember when we nearly got killed?"

Nico shook his head. "I don't mean that. If there was a war, would it be so bad? It's eight gods against five. No contest."

Will tipped his head from side to side. "Maybe. But remember that those five - well, actually four, excluding Hera - have many more demigods than the others."

"Still. An Aphrodite child isn't going to hold up against a Big Three kid."

Will grinned. "Don't tell Piper. Oh, and for a little guy, you've got an awfully big head."

"I -"

"However we think that different demigods might rank against each other," broke in Hades hurriedly, "this is still dangerous. And remember, the point of this rebellion is to switch powers - we've seen it happen already. The 'Big Three' might be pretty meaningless."

Nico bit his lip. "True."

"Well, I'd better get going. I have to look sufficiently upset at the death of my son." His face didn't move. "I think that should do it?"

Nico snorted. "Goodbye, Dad…"

Hades turned, nodded to Will, and left.

"Right, so -"

"The sleeping bag is in the cupboard as usual!" said Hades, poking his head back around the door. "And you're to use it, Solace!"

Will went bright red, in contrast to Nico, who became even paler. "Good_bye_, Dad!" he snapped. Rolling his eyes, he turned to Will. "So, what's our plan?"

"To defeat Iris?"

"Yeah." Nico rolled his eyes. "Kind-of knew that, Will. Where do we even start?"

A smile spread slowly across Will's lips. "Fancy going to the end of a rainbow?"

* * *

**Reviews are always welcome. More soon.**


	39. The Bin at the End of the Rainbow

**The Bin at the End of the Rainbow**

* * *

"Some-_wheeeerrre o-_ver the rain-_"_

"Will. Shut up."

"Skies_ aaaare_ blue…"

"Really, Will. Can it."

"_Aaaand_ the - _Ouch!_"

Nico smirked as Will hopped around, trying to massage some life back into his squashed toes. "I warned you. You were getting dangerously near copyright infringement." He sighed. "Though of _what_, I'm sure only an expert could tell…"

"It's the Louis Armstrong version."

Nico silently raised an eyebrow.

Will pouted. "I was just trying to lighten the mood. You've been so serious ever since we left the Underworld."

"The fate of the world depends on us!"

"And we can't be cheerful at the same time? A positive frame of mind -"

"- gives positive results, I know, I know. As you have often said. And if it works for you, that's great. But it's not my style, OK?"

"You're professionally gloomy, you know that?"

"I do indeed." Nico elbowed Will. "Mostly because you keep reminding me."

* * *

"So, we haven't seen a rainbow yet."

"No."

"Even though we keep following storms."

"Yeah." Nico looked at Will. "And what do you want me to do about it?"

"Well, you're clearly not shadow-travelling us to the right places."

"Oh, I'm not, am I?" Nico scowled. "It's not like it's deliberate!"

Will's lip twitched. "You just don't want to admit that you keep making mistakes."

"I do not!"

"Want to admit it?"

"Make mistakes!"

Will smirked. "I'll believe that..."

"Shush."

"Uh-uh. Someone has to keep an eye on you."

"And you can't do that without opening your mouth?"

Will pressed his lips together for a moment, looking thoughtful. "No," he said, smiling widely. "It doesn't look like it!"

Nico narrowed his eyes and let out an angry hiss. "I love you, I love you, I love you…" he muttered.

"Why are you saying that?" asked Will.

Nico glared at him. "In case I happen to for_get_."

Will laughed, which did Nico's mood no good at all. "I love you too, dear!"

* * *

"There's one!"

"I don't see it, Will. Where?"

"There!"

"I still don't –"

Will reached down and picked Nico up by the shoulders, turning him towards the rainbow. Nico's feet kicked rather pathetically in the air.

"OK, OK, Will, I see it!" He crossed his arm petulantly. "Now, will you put me down, please?"

Will turned Nico around to face him, skilfully switching his hands over without dropping him. Nico reckoned that this was showing off.

"You're heavier than you used to be."

"Well that's actually your fault, isn't it?"

Will wrinkled his nose. Nico tried to focus on how their mission was important, not how cute –

"Why have your eyes gone gooey?" asked Will.

"Put me down. Now. We have a world to save."

"Yes, honeybun…" Will set Nico down on the floor.

"I could have got out any time I wanted, by the way."

"Of course."

"I just didn't want to hurt you."

"Sure." Will smiled. "I'm grateful."

Nico kicked Will in the shin.

"Ow!" cried Will, eyes watering. "What was that for?"

" '_Honeybun_'."

* * *

"That rainbow isn't getting any closer, Will."

"Well, actually, since rainbows exist only in your perception of refracted light, you _can't_ reach a rainbow."

"Right."

"That's science, that is," said Will, proudly.

"Then _why_ are we trying to follow one if it's impossible!"

"Because it's the following of it that's important. If we keep going towards it, then we should eventually end up inside someone else's rainbow, even though we won't realise it."

Nico opened and closed his mouth a few times, chewing that over. "Um. Really? Are you _sure_ about that?"

Will frowned. "Uh – yes. Why?"

"Because that doesn't sound very likely."

Will shrugged. "Maybe not. But it's true, though."

"No, it _isn't_. I mean, think – we have to be in the _exact_ spot at which _someone else_ _completely unrelated to us _is perceiving a rainbow, which only exists as an optical illusion, and of which neither you nor I can have any knowledge of. We'd be better off just walking at random!"

"And yet I'm still right."

"No, you _aren't_!" Nico threw his hands up in the air. "You're spouting total gibberish!"

"Then what's that shop doing there?"

Nico's eyes travelled along Will's finger, dropped off the end, and smacked into the front of a store sign, on which was written 'R.O.F.L.'. Sometimes Will could be … irritating, to say the least.

Refusing to look at what he knew would be a satisfied smirk, Nico rolled his eyes. "You got lucky, Sunshine."

"I got _skills_, Death Boy."

"Stop talking."

"You just don't like being –"

"I mean it. The lips, the tongue, the chin – stop flapping them."

"What if I were to say – _Mmmf! Mmmmmmf!_"

Nico grinned, watching out of the corner of his eye the skeletal hand pinching Will's mouth shut. "So what's the plan? We just march in? Not very 'element-of-surprise'-y, is it? Will?"

"_Mmmf_!"

"Oh, yeah." Nico laughed. "Decisions, decisions…"

Newly released, Will ran his tongue around his lips. "I wasn't intending that we just barge in. We should sneak around. Use our natural abilities of stealth and cunning!"

Nico raised his eyebrows. "Will, dear, you're about as stealthy as a brass band."

"Use _your_ natural abilities of stealth and cunning…"

"A more realistic plan, I think." Nico jerked his head. "Come on." He looked around, and then led Will down a nearby alleyway, where a number of large dustbins stood. He opened one gingerly, taking care not to make any noise, screwing up his face at the smell. He looked at Will. "Right, you, _in_."

Will gaped. "What!"

Nico put a finger on his lips. "Do as I say."

"But –"

Nico glared at him. Will did as he was told, but with an expression on his face that conveyed to Nico just how much he didn't like doing this, and that there would be some kind of Nico-centred suffering later. At least, Will hoped that's what it conveyed.

Nico gently rolled the lid back down, wondering why Will had suddenly looked constipated. He shrugged. Now for the next part of his plan.

* * *

"Hey," said Nico, sticking his head, a baseball cap pulled down low over his face, around the back door of the shop. A nymph (you can always tell when it's a nymph – something to do with the eyes) jumped, and took a tight grip on the handle of its coffee mug.

"I'm on a break," they said, a little defensive.

"Good for you. I'm here to take your trash."

"Oh, right." The girl frowned. "They don't normally come in."

Nico shrugged. "I'm new, I guess." He patted his Hi-Viz jacket. "I'm Steve."

The nymph nodded vaguely. "Fleecy."

"What kind of a name is that?"

"Mine."

Nico nodded, nonplussed. "So, uh, is the boss around?"

Fleecy shook her head. "Nah. She's not been in for a while. She lets me, and the others, run the place."

"What do you do here?"

"We sell organic products. Want to try some of our coffee?"

Nico thought about Will, still stuck in the wheelie bin. "Yes, please, that would be nice."

Nico leaned against the worktop, looking for any useful documents. "So when your boss isn't here, where does she go?"

"How do I know?" said the nymph, putting a mug down in front of Nico. "I just run the store. _She_, on the other hand, is a goddess -a"

"A what?" asked Nico, feigning confusion.

"Is a good boss, I said," covered Fleecy, trying not to look flustered. "She gives me a lot of responsibility. She trusts me."

"Uh-huh." Nico took a sip of coffee. It was good. But he couldn't tell quite how its organic-ness made it taste much different from the often tar-like substance Will would leave outside his cabin every morning. "My old boss was really secretive. Never told anyone anything. He'd disappear just like that, and wouldn't come back for ages. Not to mention him being really moody, and not talking to people even when he was around. He thought it made him intimidating."

"He sounds awful. Was he intimidating?"

"I used to think so. But now I reckon he was just lonely."

"And your new boss?"

"A shining ray of sunlight. Perhaps _too_ present, at times. But what about yours? Is she here often?"

Fleecy looked a little wistful. "She used to be. But these last few months she's been away more and more. Something's different."

"Like what?"

Fleecy narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you so interested for?"

"I'm not, particularly. But, as I say, I've had experience with bad bosses, and I want to help people out. It's good to be helpful. My new boss says that." He took another swig of coffee. "Plus, I'm avoiding doing my job by being in here, which is always good."

"I thought you liked your new boss?"

"Oh, I do. I'm just not that keen on my new job. It's a lot of hard work. Early starts. I'm just not sure it's quite _me_." More coffee. "So, as you were saying?"

"Huh?"

"About how you're worried about your boss, I think?"

"Oh, yeah." Fleecy looked thoughtful. "She's been going to a lot of meetings. Something about a takeover. Maybe she's thinking about expanding the store. Or something."

"And are these meetings going well?"

"I reckon so. There was a while a week or so ago when she seemed a bit anxious. Frustrated. She was always muttering something about how she was 'working with idiots'."

"I know the feeling," said Nico.

"Yeah, but, the other day she dropped in, looking for something, and she seemed much more upbeat."

"Oh, well that's good then," said Nico. "Things are looking up."

The nymph nodded.

"What was she looking for?" asked Nico as casually as he could.

Fleecy frowned. "I don't think I should say."

"You can tell me," Nico said.

"Why?"

"Uh -" Nico's brain worked overtime. "Because you have no idea who I am?"

Fleecy raised an eyebrow. "That's, like, my _point_?"

Turns out overtime-brain wasn't very good. "Um, well," he started, reddening slightly. He hesitated. It was worth a try, wasn't it? "Well, I think you're, uh, really nice, and, er, I know I'm just a guy who does the bins - and we've only just met, but -"

Fleecy's eyebrow kept going up.

"- even though you're a girl and I'm g- erm, nothing, scrap that, uh -"

"Nico, are you going to let me come out of here any time soon?"

Nico froze, then forced a smile onto his face. "Would you excuse me for a moment, Fleecy? There appears to be a lunatic in my bin."

The nymph frowned. "Well, I'm going to get in contact with my boss now, if you don't mind -"

"I'd better get back to work - sorry to have taken up so much of your time. I've been Steve. _Steve._" He wished he had Piper's abilities.

"OK, I'm really calling my boss now. Go away quickly, and maybe we won't call _your_ boss, or the police."

The boy ran out into the alley. When Fleecy went to follow, he was gone, and the alley was empty. And he hadn't even taken their recycling!


	40. Losing Control

**Losing Control**

* * *

Will blinked in the light as the lid of the bin rumbled back. He squinted up at the silhouette of Nico. He stood up. "I'm getting out now." Nico silently stepped to one side. Will flopped, undignified, onto the ground.

"You smell."

From the floor, Will glared at Nico. "And who's fault is that?"

Nico laughed. "Mine, I guess." He went to give Will a hand up, and then thought the better of it.

"I'll get up on my own, then, shall I?" asked Will, pushing himself off of the ground and reorienting himself on his feet. He started to pick the larger bits of rubbish off of himself.

Nico looked Will up and down, noticing the yucky lumps of rubbish stuck to his clothes and hair. He laughed. "You _really_ sti -"

Perhaps because he really wasn't expecting anything like it from Will, Nico's usually quick reactions made no response to the heel of Will's hand slamming towards his face.

"_GODS_, Will!" cried Nico, reeling backwards, his hand over his nose. "That was maybe a bit excessive…" He tilted his head back. "Hades, I think you've broken my nose."

Will was almost immediately guilty, and was putting his hands out in order to tend to Nico's injury.

"No! Stop! Don't lean your head back like that!" He cupped Nico head in his hands and angled it forwards. "Come here."

"I thought you leaned back when –"

"Common misconception. That might stop the blood coming out of your nose, but instead it runs into your throat, which is much more dangerous."

"Right." Nico watched dully as the blood spattered on the ground.

"Pinch the bridge of your nose."

"Ahh! That hurts!"

Will grimaced. "Oops. Actually broken, then." He flushed. "Sorry. Um –"

"Do something!"

"I don't have my medical –"

"_You_ don't _need_ it!"

Flustered, Will put his hands around Nico's nose. He hummed a prayer to his father. After a few minutes, he let go, and looked uncertainly at Nico. "Better?"

Nico just looked at him as blood continued to run from his swollen nose.

"Uh. I'll have another go."

Another hum, and Will backed off again.

Nico gingerly touched his nose, and then, in a weird movement, tried to flinch away from the middle of his face. "Are you being rubbish on purpose?"

"No!"

Nico looked at Will, suspecting dishonesty. He didn't expect to see his boyfriend looking quite so distressed.

Will wrung his hands. "I don't know what's happening!" His lip trembled. "I don't know what to do!"

"Are you saying your powers aren't working?"

Will nodded. "I can't do anything. It's just not working."

Nico sucked his teeth, perturbed. And now with a mouth full of blood. He spat it out, watching it soak into the dull earth. "Now what?"

"Um. I think they just dry up on their own after a while."

Nico tilted his head to look Will in the eye. "Are you sure?"

"Nine out of ten." Will put his hand on Nico's chin and pressed it back down. "I'd keep leaning forwards until it does, though." Will bit his lip. "So, does your running away from R.O.F.L. really fast mean that I was right? Iris _is_ behind this?"

Nico nodded.

"Damn. I was hoping I was wrong."

"I know," said Nico, morosely. "She always seemed so nice."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, I'm sure that she _seemed _nice."

Will shook his head. "No, I mean, you're really sure that she is behind it?"

Nico sighed. "Yeah. Everything fits with our efforts to stop her – her mood, it seems, goes up and down depending on whether she's defeating us or not." He poked his nostrils gingerly. Little rust-coloured flakes fell into the palm of his hand. "I think it's just about dry now."

"I don't know what came over me there, Nico. I'm really sorry."

Nico looked at him sourly. "Yeah. You should be." Then he looked a little more sympathetic. "I'm sorry – it must be quite a shock losing your powers like that." He frowned. "Though I have to say that you're taking it remarkably well."

Will shrugged. "I've got a naturally sunny disposition. Very little fazes me." He went back to his questions: "Did you find out where Iris goes?"

"Well, I was about to find out when there was an interruption from my magic talking bin." Nico looked pointedly at Will.

"Do you really want me to break your nose again?"

"It's currently not fixed."

Will narrowed his eyes. "Then I'll rephrase: do you want me to break your nose _some more_?"

"What's got into you?"

"Nothing! It's more about how _you_ put _me_ into a bin!"

"Sor_ree_…"

"Why do I not get the impression that you're being sincere?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Anyway… No, I didn't get anything out of the nymph about where Iris goes. It could really be anywhere. I presume that they have meetings. I know that she came back once much happier – I think that was the time when we were 'killed'."

Will grimaced. "Nice."

"But I don't have a useful location."

"Hmm." Will blinked and looked around. "Speaking of locations, where are we?"

"Um. Possibly Idaho."

"_Idaho_! Why?" Will frowned. "Also – _possibly_?"

"Well, there is a distinct lack of signs. It feels like Idaho."

"How can it 'feel' like Idaho?"

"Oh, you know." Nico waved a hand.

"No. I don't. Please explain."

"The air, the trees, the ground, the –"

"You have no idea, do you?"

"Nope."

Will laughed. "But why Idaho?"

Nico shrugged. "It was far away from where we were. It was the first name I thought of. I don't know why, really. But, here we are…"

"Maybe."

Nico nodded. "Maybe."

"How do we find out?"

Nico shrugged. "I guess we walk until we find somewhere. Or someone. Or some potatoes." He turned and walked away.

"Nico?" called out Will. "I can't push the bin on my own."

Nico looked back at Will, raising his eyebrows. "_Leave_ the bin…"

"But –"

"Why would we keep it?"

Will looked thoughtful. "Good point."

"Right, then." Nico raised his arm. "To -!" He blinked. "Um."

Will laughed, slipping his arm through Nico's other elbow. "You can't think of a town in Idaho, can you?"

"Can you?"

"Uh… Idaho, er, Falls?"

"Is that actually a place?"

Will nodded. "I think so."

"Huh. But I think we would need to be near a river to be heading there."

"True. Perhaps another Idahoan place. Of which there are many."

Nico tilted his head. "Mmm. We've probably demonstrated out ignorance enough now. Shall we walk?"

"_You_ can walk. _I_ intend to dance, Mr di Angelo!"

"Who even _are_ you? And what are you currently _on_?"

Will just laughed and led Nico away.

* * *

"Hey, look – a road sign!" Nico squinted at it, and then defaulted to Will. "What does it say?"

"Missoula. 3 miles."

Nico grinned. "Excellent! I've even heard of it." He sucked his cheek. "Huh. I didn't know Missoula was in Idaho."

"It's not."

"What?"

Will sighed. "It's not in Idaho."

"It's not?"

"No?"

Nico frowned. "Then where is it?"

"Montana."

"Oh." Nico flushed. "That's close to Idaho, though, right?"

"I suppose so." Will frowned. "But –"

"What?"

"It's not like we were actually going to Idaho for a reason, though, were we? You just wanted to get away from R.O.F.L."

Nico hesitated. "Yes… I don't suppose that it actually mattered where we were."

"Where should we be going next, then?"

"Well, I suppose we ought to go either to Delphi or Lemnos, seeing as you've lost your powers."

"I have? Oh – yeah, I have."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "I can't believe how blasé you are about that. I thought you'd have been distraught. Now you can't heal people, and that's basically all you _do_."

Will grinned. "I'm optimistic. We'll fix it. We always do."

"Still. Are you _sure_ you're OK?"

"Yes!"

Nico chewed the inside of his cheek. "I wish I had your confidence."

"You can tell me anything. All your secrets."

"I'm sure I already do," said Nico. "And you know that wasn't what I meant." He looked around. "Well, goodbye Montana –" He went very still as he looked back the way they'd come. A large, dark shape was following them. A monster. Great. No, _actually_, great! He'd not fought anything for ages. He nudged Will. "Hey. What's that coming over the hill? Is it a -"

"Now who's sailing close to copyrighted waters, hmm?"

"Just you shut up and wait for me to kill this thing, Will. Like normal." Nico put his hand to his hip for his sword.

Will raised an eyebrow. "With what?"

Nico looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"With _what_?" Will tapped Nico's leg.

Nico frowned and looked down. "What are you do – _oh!_"

"Yeah. You lost it ages ago and still haven't replaced it."

Nico swore and stamped his foot. He glanced at Will. "I don't suppose you've got anything sharp?"

"Just my wits."

"Not likely. Also, it would need to be some kind of godly metal."

"I've got nothing."

"Not a magic scalpel that your dad gave you for your birthday?"

"Nope. He has too many kids to give out presents like that."

"So, uh…" Nico eyed up the creature that was getting ever closer. He was suddenly less keen to take it on. How many claws did something _need_? "You could punch it in the face. That seems to be your thing."

"For the love of the gods, Nico, that was a brief loss of control."

Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Which, I reckon, happened at the moment that my powers disappeared. I was momentarily unstable."

Nico slowly lowered his eyebrow. Then he raised the other one.

Will glanced towards the approaching monster. What big teeth it had. "How about you just shadow-travel us out of here?" suggested Will. His voice went up a notch in pitch. "Quite soon?"

Nico grimaced. That seemed awfully like running away.

"Nico!"

They ran away.

* * *

Will blinked in the light as the lid of the bin rumbled back. He squinted up at the silhouette of –

"Nico?"

"I'm afraid not, Will."

* * *

**Hi - sorry it's been so long. I keep losing track of where this is going. It probably won't be as long before the next update, but it still might be a little while.**

**Reviews are always nice.**


	41. The Breakfast of the Gods

**The Breakfast of the Gods**

* * *

Shadow-travel was strange. Shadow-travel inside a bin was even stranger.

Will was so disorientated by the whole experience that he barely recognised that the figure in the light wasn't Nico. Even when they said that they weren't.

So he responded: "Euurgh?"

"Close, Will, close," said the voice.

Then the bin tipped sideways, and Will was sent sprawling out of the lid in a shower of plastic bags, decomposing litter, and, curiously, a load of bouncy balls. They jumped around his prone body for a while, adding an element of fluorescent humour to the bizarre scene, before rolling away to who-knew-what corners of who-knew-where he was.

Wherever it was, it was _bright_. Ouch. He screwed up his eyes until they adjusted to the brightness, and blinked a few times. Then he looked around. A tallish woman in a long multi-coloured robe stared down at him.

"Hi," said Iris. "Were you looking for me?"

Sometimes, Will hated being right.

He tried a winning smile. "Uh, no, not really… I was just looking for some organic supplements. I'm thinking of adding some to the food that we have at Camp – I'm not sure that people are getting the right amount of nutrients –"

"Shut up, Will."

"I –"

"Will, I know that you and Nico have been trying to track me down. Wanting to accuse me of stirring up a war between the gods."

Will laughed nervously. "Well, uh, I guess this is the point where you're outraged, and I grovel an apology for suspecting you."

"I think that would be a waste of our time, Will. Because you're absolutely right. That's exactly what I'm doing." She raised an eyebrow. "And, yes, it's me who's been trying to kill you and Nico. I confess to being surprise that you survived in the library…"

Will raised his eyebrows. _Be like Nico_. "Evidently."

Iris grimaced. "I really need more competent allies."

"Or less competent enemies," pointed out Will.

"_Please_!" she snorted. "The two of you are hardly _competent_. Just about your first act after faking your own deaths is to turn up at my shop. Did you think I wasn't going to pay attention to it? It is, after all, where people might want to try and find me. You threw away the little advantage you had."

"Oh. Or maybe this is just as we planned it!"

She waved her hand. A shimmering cage formed out of the air. Will didn't need to test it to know that he wouldn't be able to get out. He'd never thought that rainbows could seem sinister.

"This is how you planned it?" she asked, tapping the barrier.

Will bit his lip.

Iris laughed. She went to speak more, but then cocked her head, as if listening to something. "I have to go. I'll leave you to think about your answer."

"But what do you –"

Without another word, she was gone, and Will was left in his prison (or was it _prism_), penned in by the strangely solid curves of light. It hung, inexplicably in the strange empty room that he'd arrived in. His feet weren't even touching the floor. The tipped-over bin still lay nearby, but apart from that, nothing.

Will sighed to himself. This was unlikely to end well. He wished he'd learned to meditate.

* * *

Some time later – Will wasn't sure quite how much time had passed, but it was long enough for him to feel kind-of peckish – and Iris was back. And she wasn't alone.

"Is this the gay one?" asked – actually, Will wasn't sure. Probably a minor goddess. He didn't know them all.

"Why would –" started Will.

"Yes," said Iris.

The goddess (as Will supposed she was) came up to the side of the bubble and peered at him. Her eyes were strange. Old. Sad. "Good. Keep him here."

Iris was answering to _this_ person? Interesting.

Iris nodded. The other disappeared, leaving a shimmering trail in the air.

"Who –?" started Will.

"Don't bother asking, Will."

Will sighed.

"Fine. Can you at least tell me how you captured me?"

"A bit of manipulation of the shadows. Really, it wasn't hard to divert you. Shadows always need at least a little light. And where there's light, it can be bent. Which is where I come in. I dropped you off here, instead of wherever it was you were going – which was _where_, by the way?"

Will opened his mouth to reply, but then shook his head. "I won't tell you."

"Ah. But you nearly did, though. Such a polite and well-brought-up boy, always ready to answer questions and be helpful. I'll hardly need to torture you at all. I can just ask nicely. Make you feel guilty."

"So, what are you going to do to me?"

Iris shrugged. "Keep you in there, I suppose. You might prove useful."

Was this the part where she gloated and told him her plans? He hoped so. In the movies, this was the bit where the hero got enough time to find a chance to escape, armed with the knowledge of how to defuse the bomb/save the ice cream factory/decorate the cake. Hey, Will watched some fairly _independent_ action films. But, then again, was _he_ necessarily the hero of this? Or was he the damsel – dude – in distress? Should he wait passively for Nico to rescue him, or try and break out? He didn't want to reinforce gender stereotypes. Another day, another crisis of masculinity. The consequences of being gay. It should come with a manual.

"Little reverie over?"

"Huh?"

"You were all spaced out. Thinking of how lover boy was going to come and get you?"

"Not particularly," said Will, studying his fingernails. He really needed to stop biting them. "I reckon I'll be just fine. But, if you're complacent, he will be here. You'll see."

Iris smiled. "I'm sure you're right. Now, I have other things to do, so I'll be back later. Unless Nico breaks you out, of course." She walked away.

"He'll come looking for me!" Will called after her.

She turned. "No, he won't. He doesn't even know you've gone."

Before Will could reply, she was, again, not there.

* * *

"I'm hungry."

"This is a prison, not a holiday camp."

Hah. Sometimes people said that about Camp… Will pulled a sick-looking face. "But I haven't eaten in days. And I'm – so – weak…" He slumped forwards against the shimmering cage. "If I die, I'll be of no use to you at all.

A nymph (he presumed it was a nymph – he and Nico had worked out that there was something weird about their eyes) sprang into existence. She bowed to Iris, and then noticed Will, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, it's the gay one."

Will frowned. "We're both –"

"The boy claims he needs food."

The nymph nodded sagely. "They do. Or they die."

"They don't die very quickly, though?"

"Not that quickly, but they definitely need water. And after a while they become less responsive if they don't eat."

Iris sighed. "Fine. Get something from the shop for him."

Will groaned inwardly. But, food was food, even if it was bound to be some wholegrain organic nut-dust thing that tasted of mud and dried leaves. Hmm. He might have to revise his 'food was food' idea…

"Will?"

He looked up. "What? You've kept me here for – I don't know how long – and all you've done is come in and look at me every now and again. You haven't even asked me much. What do you want with me and why have you captured me?"

"Aren't those kind-of the same question?"

"No."

"Well, I guess you'd like to find out the answers to them, wouldn't you?"

Will held her gaze steadily. He'd had no idea that goddesses sported silly little smirks.

The nymph reappeared. With bran. Great. Yum. Lovely bran.

But this might be interesting: how was the food going to get inside the bubble?

Iris took the bowl and came towards him. It, and her hand, passed through the bent light without even a ripple. There was no change in the surface of his see-through prison. Will took the bowl – and noticed that it left no shadow. That was odd. You'd have thought, given that there was clearly lots of light, that it would have some shadow somewhere. But no. Inside the bubble, there weren't any. In fact, he should have realised that earlier – no part of him had a shadow either. But – _why_?

"Are you going to stare at it, or eat it?"

Will looked down at the brown mush. "Um. Spoon?" He raised an eyebrow. "It's not like I'm going to use it to tunnel out of here."

A spoon materialised in the bowl.

"Thanks." He brought the slop up to his mouth and tried to disguise his grimace. "So, you were about to tell me why I was here, and what your plan is?"

Iris laughed. "Nice try, Will. Enjoy your meal."

And he was alone again. Will took another dismal spoonful and suppressed a gag. He wondered if he wouldn't be better off eating the spoon.

* * *

Where was Nico?

Will still hadn't worked out a way out of here, and he was sure that he'd been gone long enough for Nico to realise that something was up. He'd disappeared, for gods' sake! Nico must be really worried, and searching everywhere for him. Will hoped that this place, wherever, and whatever, it was, was high up the list of places that Nico intended to check. He'd been given another bran meal. He wasn't sure he'd survive a third.

Will certainly didn't believe Iris' parting shot from earlier that Nico wouldn't care about finding him. If he knew anything about Nico, it was that you didn't mess with people close to him. And Will liked to think that he and Nico were very close indeed.

A flash, a smell of brimstone, sweat, and really cheap aftershave, and there was a muscular, sunglass-wearing, leather-clad god in the room.

"So it's true that she's caught Nico's gay boyfriend…" mused Ares, observing Will from over the top of his shades.

Will snapped. "Why does everyone say that? First, _yes_, I am Nico's 'gay boyfriend' – how could I be any other kind? Second – I'm not _the_ 'gay one'. We're both gay. Otherwise it doesn't really work!" Will hesitated. "Though, of course, there are other ways of being queer which don't necessitate either of us being _gay_, as such, but it's how we both self-identify, so –"

"Do you reckon that getting angry with me is going to help you out much?" asked Ares.

"Probably not. But it makes me feel better."

Ares laughed. "I see you've learned something from your boyfriend."

"Oh, I've learned all kinds of things." Will set his face in a particularly Nico-esque frown.

"I'm sure you have." Ares winked.

It took all of Will's concentration not to blush. "What do you want?"

The god shrugged. "To see if Iris was telling the truth. She's often exaggerating her successes to us – and she's found out a good deal less from her messages than she hoped to. Many of the gods don't seem to use them much anymore." He narrowed his eyes at Will. "You wouldn't know anything about that?"

"Nothing to do with me," said Will, holding up his hands. "Has Iris been spying on IMs, then?"

"Not always personally – sometimes recording them."

"Oh – and does she keep copies?"

"Of the important ones. When she wants to show us something." Ares snorted. "But they've been getting less useful by the day." He pointed a finger at Will. "You and your buddy have been a right pain, you know. Every time we manage to corrupt a sacred spot, you manage to undo it. It's infuriating!"

"But, now I'm in here, you can do what you like," pointed out Will.

Ares nodded. "So we've been sending out campers more quickly, now you're in here." He let out a long breath. "But even then it's only temporary. Did you know that you have to keep rededicating a temple or it reverts back to its original state?"

Will shook his head.

"Well, it does! The more temples you do, the longer it takes to undo, but, and this is only a guess, but you'd probably have to convert them all if it was to be permanent. Even if there was just one sacred space left, they'd still have some power."

"_They_?" probed Will.

"Oh, you know," Ares waved a hand, "Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Athena – that lot. The ones that need bringing down a few pegs."

"Can you make new sacred spaces?" asked Will.

Ares nodded. "Of course. Why do you think there are so many around now? The Greeks did it all the time. All it takes is an altar, something sacred to the deity involved, a sacrifice, and a prayer. Bingo – new holy site – and another headache for us. If I'd know that overthrowing the greater gods was going to be this much work, I'd –"

"You're not supposed to be here!" snapped Iris, materialising on the other side of Will's light-cage. She glared at Ares. "Have you told him anything?"

"He's stuck in here. He could know all our plans and still be as impotent as when he was ignorant!"

"Go! Do what you've been assigned."

Ares scowled. "See ya, demigod." The same smell as before, though inexplicably reversed, and he was gone.

Iris narrowed her eyes at Will. "What did he want?"

"Just to check on your competence, I think," said Will.

Iris huffed, and vanished yet again.

Will slumped against the side of his cell. He _had_ to get out of here.

* * *

**Apologies for the delay. More normal service should resume from now on.**


	42. Climb Every Mountain

**Climb Every Mountain**

"Will?"

"Mmm?"

"Is there another Mount Parnassus?"

"Uh, in Colorado, I think. Why?"

"That's where we are then."

Will looked around at the vast complex of buildings. "The Rockies. Famous for their Greek temples?"

"Clearly." Nico picked over the stones. "Now, the great temple should be that way. So, do you feel a familial thrill?"

Will frowned at Nico. "Huh?"

"This is Delphi. Sacred to your dad?"

"Oh. Uh, yeah, I guess so – but it could just be the cold."

"Mmm. It might also be being diluted by _that_." Nico gestured towards a large metal object in the treasury. It appeared to be moving by clockwork. It also appeared to be a large egg.

"Ah. A Hephaestus introduction?"

"I suppose so."

"What do you reckon it is?"

Will shrugged. "An egg timer?"

"Probably not. Hmm. Do we smash it?" Nico bent down and picked up a rock. He gauged its weight. "Thoughts?"

"You should be careful – it might be booby trap –"

Nico crashed the rock down onto the delicate mechanism, which bent and splinted. The rotating part of the object stopped moving.

"Or it might not be," conceded Will. "One or the other." He helped Nico roll the object over, and out of the treasury. "Do you think that'll do?"

Nico shrugged. "I guess. Now, into the temple itself."

The two boys walked on, and up the marble steps. The temple was vast – almost as large as the Parthenon, and somehow grander. Unadorned with sculpture, instead there were short phrases cut deeply into it in Greek.

"Restrain the tongue," read Nico. "Huh. Bugger that."

At the top of the stairs, they looked carefully into the adyton in the centre. This, the seat of the Pythia, the source of the Oracle –

"There's nothing in here," said Will. "Nothing, unusual, I mean."

Nico made to go further in, but Will put a hand out, stopping him. "You shouldn't go in there. Super sacred, you know?"

Nico looked sceptical. "But how will we know?"

"We can see the whole place from here. There's nothing."

"Your dad won't mind." Nico stepped forwards.

"No!"

Nico held his hands up. "OK, OK, if you say so!" He shook his head. "But I don't know why you're being so reverent of the prat, all of a sudden. Well, it seems our child of Hephaestus hasn't finished the job."

Satisfied, the two boys went out of the temple, and back to the treasury.

"There's just this."

"It's scary that someone managed to get something so fine up here. That takes real skill," said Will.

Nico tipped his head to one side, his eyes fixed n the strange object. "No, but this is good!"

Will looked at him as if he was mad. "It is?"

"Yeah! I mean, I wonder how whoever it was got here. And when. Hmm." Nico peered off the edge of the mountain. "I mean, there's probably a way up here without shadow-travelling, but, still, it's pretty risky. And quite out-pf-the-way for most demigods." He started to pace. "Because _that's_ what might actually be helpful. It's surely not too hard to work out who could have had access to this place – which demigods live nearby – almost certainly a child of Hephaestus, obviously – but who? And –" Nico scowled suddenly and kicked a rock, before hopping about in pain.

"Hey!" said Will, starting forward. "What's up?"

"I wish I was more sociable!" cried Nico. "I couldn't name anyone in the Hephaestus cabin, apart from Leo." He blinked. "Ah. But you _are_ Mr Sociability. You know everyone. So, can you think of who might live near here?"

"Uh. Um." Will flushed and scratched at his neck. "You've, uh, really put me on the spot there, Nico. I can't just summon –"

"Come on," wheedled Nico. "Just the names, then. And we can go check a phone book, or something. Do they still have phone books?" He frowned. "_Did_ they have phone books back when I was a – it doesn't matter! Will – do you have an answer for me?"

Will held up his hands. "I've got nothing." He squeezed out a smile. "Sorry?"

Nico groaned. "You're useless! Why do I even keep you around?" He turned and strode away.

Will hurried after him. "Because I'm adorable, and gorgeous, and lovely, and –"

"Shut up. I'm thinking."

Will obeyed.

"Right, so we're going to need to get back to Camp. We'll need a list of all the demigods. Do you think Chiron has one?"

Will shrugged. "I would guess. He's more likely to have one than Mr D."

"Mmm. Plus, we get report cards at the end of every summer. So that implies that there's a central register."

"What do you get?"

"What?"

"On your report card?"

"Poor attendance." Nico kicked at a pebble. "Where do you think he keeps it?"

"The register? Uh. His room?"

"Yeah." Nico sucked his teeth. "That's going to be tricky. Hmm." He stared at the ground, frowning to himself. Then he looked up at Will. "Does the infirmary have records?"

"Er." Will looked blank.

"Don't you _know_? Aren't you in charge?"

"Well, um, more of the practical than administrative side."

Nico frowned slightly. "You really are no help."

"Well, um, I _suppose_ that there is one. And there aren't many places in the infirmary in which it could be kept."

"It would definitely be safer to go to the Infirmary than try to break into Chiron's room. With or without him in it." Nico turned abruptly. "Come on. Back to where we left our stuff."

Will waited until Nico had gone out of sight before he hauled up the metal egg, and dragged it back to the treasury. Panting he got it back inside. The mechanism was ruined, but it could either be fixed, or it might not matter that much. He hadn't lied – there _was_ nothing in the temple, for it really was too holy, particularly with a living, vibrant Oracle in the form of Rachel. But the way to influence the Oracle – the force that was the Oracle – had always been through what was offered to it, and that was what was in the treasury. It might not be instant, but, to control Delphi, it was worth a shot.

"Will?" called out Nico, from quite far down the mountain. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah!" he called back. "Just tying my shoelaces." He ran out to where Nico was impatiently pacing up and down.

"We're under something of a time pressure, you know," he said, scowling. He put out a hand. "Come on. We're going again."

Will nodded. "To Camp?"

Nico looked directly at him. "Yeah."

* * *

Darkness, and light.

Will frowned. They were on the edge of a wood, somewhere unidentifiable. "I thought we were going to the infirmary?"

Nico was staring at him, hands on hips.

"Nico?"

"You're not Will."

Will wrinkled his nose and laughed. "Who am I, then – Won't?"

"No. I mean it." Nico stepped forwards and squinted at Will's face. "Who are you?"

"Will, silly!" Will frowned and ruffled Nico's hair –

"Don't touch me!" Nico stumbled back. "What have you done with him?"

"I'm right here, Neeks! What's got into you?"

"Nothing. I didn't see it at first, but I know now."

"Know what?"

"I know you're not you."

"What about me makes you say that?"

"The eyes. The eyes aren't right. You've got most of it about right, but those eyes – you're just not him."

Will looked confused. "What about my eyes?"

"They're not his. There's no spark in them." Nico cocked an eyebrow. "It sounds silly when I say it, all soppy and romantic, but it's true. There's always life in Will's eyes. They're always bright. Yours aren't."

The eyes, which were, as Nico noted, lifeless, turned cold. "Really. Then who do you think I am?"

"A duplicate, of course. I can't think of any monster that can change into another person, off hand, but I suppose you could be a god disguised, or something formed to resemble Will, and animated." Nico turned away, walking towards the forest. "You can go now."

A hand gripped his shoulder. "If what you say is true," said Will, "then saying what you've just said might be considered provocative."

Nico shrugged the hand off, and kept walking. "I reckon I can defend myself."

"With what? We've already established that you have no weapon."

"Neither do you."

Nico was spun around and pinned against a large oak tree. The figure of Will gripped Nico's wrist in his left hand, while raising a bronze dagger in the other. The boy (or whatever) smiled. "Oops. Guess I forgot that I had this earlier."

"Tell me, how did you do it?"

"When you were shadow-travelling. It's not hard to redirect someone if you can manipulate either light or darkness. Iris – we know you know – just swapped us."

"Where is he?"

"Like I would tell you that."

"Apparently I'm going to die. What would it matter?"

"_You_ know that death hardly stops someone from acting."

"True." Nico sucked his bottom lip. He glanced at the knife. "So. Are you going to do it, then?"

"What?" Will opened its mouth in confusion. It seemed to have far too many teeth.

"Kill me," said Nico, raising his eyebrows. "Or don't you have the authority." He grinned. "Or the guts."

It closed Will's mouth again, setting it into a determined shape. "I can do what I like with you," it growled.

"Mmm. Well, that notwithstanding, what you've done is make a significant mistake."

"What?" The creature (it was rapidly becoming less and less like Will, which, at least, made things easier for Nico, though _what_ it was becoming was disconcerting) bent forwards. "I have you in my grip. You're defenceless. What mistake could I have possibly made?"

"Hold on to me while we're in a shadow?" suggested Nico. He grinned, and pulled the two of them into the darkness.

* * *

It was now totally impossible to see the thing – though the hand on Nico's wrist no longer felt like a hand – he didn't want to think too much about it.

He didn't often stop in the shadows. He didn't like it much, no matter how much bravado he showed in front of Will. You weren't supposed to like being in this in-between world. It wasn't meant for mortals.

"You see, out in the world, you can do whatever you like," said Nico. "Out in the light."

The creature grunted. It didn't like it in here either.

"But in here, fully in the darkness between the living and the dead," continued Nico, "you're in my world. In my power. Iris might have some influence at the edges of the light, but, here? It's just me. That knife of yours?" Nico willed it into his hand. "It's my knife, now." He swung it at random into the darkness in front of him.

The thing let out a wail of pain.

"But I don't need to hurt you in here." Nico smiled a smile that could not be seen. "For, as you pointed out, I can send you anywhere from here. Like, say, inside the sea bed, at the very bottom of the ocean. Somewhere you wouldn't surface from until the erosion of millions of years. That would keep you safe, eh? Keep you from reporting to your mistress?" He laughed, and then concentrated. "Bye!"

The sliminess slid from his hand, and Nico felt the presence of the thing vanish. His satisfaction was short-lived, though, as the shadow-world started to get to him. He felt his legs start to weaken, and then his whole body start to revolt about being kept in a lifeless place. He'd outstayed his welcome already.

With an exhausted sigh, Nico slipped, at random, back into the light.

* * *

When Nico re-entered the normal world, he found himself flat on his back. There was a shout, and then he felt something cold (and _sharp_) under his chin.

"Nico di Angelo! Where's my brother?"

* * *

**It would seem that "normal service" _is_ delays...**

**Reviews always greatly appreciated.**


	43. I Feel It In My Fingers

**I Feel It In My Fingers**

* * *

Nico, bewildered, looked up at the armed girl. Who was she? He recognised her; she was one of Will's siblings, which, even if she hadn't just said so, the eyes, hair, and face shape would have given away. But _which_ one was she? Hmm.

Will had introduced him to them all. But Nico's memory would be helped if, first, there hadn't been _bloody dozens_ of them, and, second, he'd actually cared. Plus, at that time, he was still preoccupied with trying to sneak longing glances at someone he wanted to be his boyfriend. Will had, apparently, been doing that too, something they found out when they both did it at the same time.

Nico smiled weakly, trying not to let the sword nick his throat. "Hi … uh, Kim?"

"Nope."

"Kylie?"

"Close."

Nico racked his brains. "Kayla?"

"Uh-huh." The girl pressed her sword a little harder onto Nico's Adam's apple. "You've identified me. Well done. Now, answer the question: where's Will?"

"I –I don't know!"

"Wrong answer. What have you done with him?"

"Nothing! We got separated!"

Kayla narrowed her eyes at him. Nico felt something trickle down his neck.

"Believe me! I want to find him just as much as you do."

The girl hesitated, and Nico used her slight distraction to bring his knees up and jolt the sword out of her hand. He sprang up, treading on it to keep it away from her.

"There," said Nico, not even out of breath. "Now we can talk properly." He looked around. Fields. Nothing but this old white clapperboard house, and fields for miles around. Where the Hades was this?

Kayla ground her teeth. "I guess so. Well, tell me everything you know. And I'm still suspicious."

"We got separated when shadow travelling. Will was replaced by a copy, which I managed to identify and defeat. From it I know how, and by whom, Will was taken, as well as that he's still alive." Nico bit his lip, and Kayla saw his unfazed demeanour crack. "For now."

"But where have you been? You disappear several times from Camp, and then one time, you don't come back. The others look everywhere for you – that's how I found out – actually, that's also when I found out about you and Will being, you know, you _and_ Will – you'd have thought he'd have told his _sister_! - then suddenly we hear that you've both been killed."

"Yeah," said Nico, "that's what we wanted people to think." He sighed. "We wanted to get word to you guys, but we weren't sure how to do it without getting found out."

"Why? What's been going on?"

"Trouble. Big trouble. There's about to be – well, to be honest, it's pretty much already started – a rebellion against the gods."

"The Titans again? Did we not defeat the Giants properly?"

"No. This time it's a civil war. Some of the twelve versus the others, backed by many of the minor gods and goddesses. It's a power struggle that demigods are going to be locked into the bloody middle of. The Trojan War all over again."

"And you and Will have been trying to stop it?"

Nico bit his lip and nodded. "Yeah."

"That's incredibly –"

"Brave?"

"– stupid."

Nico bent his head. "We were trying to keep things contained. We weren't quite sure what was going on, and we didn't want to put other people in danger. Also, we have been working with Artemis. She knows." He bit his lip. "We also told Chiron. Then we hit an additional problem. On one of our trips we got cursed with something that meant, like Cassandra, people didn't believe us when we told them. So Chiron now doesn't believe what we told him. Artemis is still fine, though –"

Nico swore and stared at Kayla. "And you, too…"

"A conspiracy among the gods? I don't think I would have believed you, except that you were reported dead. That makes you more believable."

"Hmm." Nico pondered. "Maybe the curse is broken if something really obvious happens to prove us right. Huh. But we'll have to see. You might still forget we ever had this conversation. So, as to our 'death', Hephaestus tried to kill us. I shadow-travelled us out of danger at the last minute, so he _thought_ he'd killed us. We thought being thought dead would be an advantage, but, uh, we kind-of blew it pretty quickly, by going somewhere really obvious, and now Iris had kidnapped Will." He took in Kayla's startled expression. "Oh, yeah, it seems that Iris is behind it all. Don't use Iris messages. Should have said that."

Kayla blinked. "That's a lot to take in."

"Yeah, well, I'll leave it with you to ponder, and be off. People to save. Bye!"

"No, you're not shadow-travelling anywhere, young man."

Nico blinked. "Are you channelling Will? Or is it an Apollo thing to be really obnoxious?"

"Yes. It is. But it's out of a concern for your health, and all the while we've been talking, the tips of your fingers have been fading in and out of existence. I reckon that's not normal."

Nico shook his head. "To get rid of the fake Will, I had to spend much longer than usual in the shadows. I'll recover fairly soon, though."

"Well, until you do, you're staying in the light world."

"But I need to find Will!"

"And you will. We will. But we'll do it from out here. Besides, you have no idea where he might be. We need to plan, and wait until you're fully healthy to shadow travel us. Until then, we can use normal transport."

"I'm noticing an awful lot of 'we' and 'us' in that."

Kayla nodded. "Because I'm coming with you."

Nico shook his head. "No. It's too dangerous. I'm not risking your life. What would Will say? You're his little sister. Besides, I've had enough experience of being lumbered with a son of Apollo on dangerous missions, coming close to screwing everything up. No offence, but there's no reason to suspect you'd be any better."

Kayla raised an eyebrow. Very Nico-esque, Nico thought. "None taken," she said, dryly. "But we're not all as cack-handed as our dear eldest brother. And I'm _going_ to help rescue him. I can't know he's in danger, and then just stay safe at home. Will would never be content to do that for us; we're not for him."

Nico considered opposing her. Not worth it. Apollo kids were, he knew, endlessly stubborn. He sighed. "You're all idiots. I've managed to associate myself with the moron cabin. But just you. I don't want you sending out sun-signals and we suddenly get a whole swarm of cheery blonde midgets getting in the way."

Kayla looked unimpressed. "How tall are you again? Five foot three?"

"Five foot seven, actually!" Nico narrowed his eyes. "And growing all the time."

"Suuuure."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Whatever." Then he looked a bit sheepish. "Can I borrow a sword?"

"You don't have a sword?"

"Well," Nico bent down to pick up the sword he'd disarmed from Kayla, "I suppose I have yours… But, uh, I, er, did lose mine. I think Ares has it now."

"That was careless of you."

"I know," grunted Nico. He waved the sword. "So, can I borrow this?"

"I've got a couple back at the house. Come on."

* * *

"So, if you won't let me shadow-travel, how are we going to get anywhere?"

"We'll drive."

"You're not old enough. Neither am I."

"We'll get someone else to do it."

"Oh, yeah," snorted Nico, "that's in all the epics: 'Tell, goddess, how Aeneas, lacking wheels, / had Venus, as his mother, drive him safe / from fight to glorious fight and home for tea…' I don't think."

"My dad's at work. We'll hitch-hike."

"We'll _what_?"

"Hitch-hike. Come on, it'll be fun!"

Nico scowled. "It won't. We'll get murdered. And, besides, _fun_ isn't something I look for in transportation. More like comfort, efficiency, speed. We're in a hurry – I've got a boyfriend to save, and I'm trying not to look too worried about it!"

"Come _on_!" Kayla led him down the rural road towards a crossroads. Then she sat down under a tree. "There'll be something along soon."

"Where actually are we?"

"Kentucky."

"Oh. It's very quiet."

"It's the countryside, dear." Kayla indicated the spot next to her. "Now, sit down, and relax. It'll help you recover faster."

Reluctantly, Nico did as he was told. then he sprang up again: "No! Wait! I remember – I have a chauffeur." He whistled.

Kayla raised her eyebrows. "A chauffeur? Who _are_ you?"

Nico looked down at his shoes. "My dad thought it was normal."

"Yeah… It's really not."

"I know that now. I, uh, have a submarine, too."

Kayla shook her head. "Will really _has_ done well for himself! Shame Hazel's currently seeing someone…" She looked around. "So, uh, where is he?"

Nico frowned. "I don't know." He blushed. "This is very embarrassing."

"I suppose it's never happened before?"

"No."

"And you're always able to raise him up?"

"Yeah."

"Always pulled it off successfully?"

"_Yes_."

"And it always comes exactly when you intend?"

Nico's eyes widened suddenly, and he went red to the tips of his ears. "Kayla! Stop that!"

Kayla looked innocent. "What? I haven't said anything."

"But you –" Nico spluttered. He set his face. "This is serious."

"You should have something like that seen to."

"Stop it!" squealed Nico.

"OK, OK, I'll stop mocking your impotence."

Nico scowled. "It must be to do with the over-shadow-travelling." He glared at his fading fingers.

"Well, in the meantime, I'm going to flag down that truck." With that, Kayla jumped up from the side of the road, and waved her hand at a passing pick-up.

* * *

It turned out that the driver knew Kayla's dad. Which was useful. Kayla elected to sit in the trailer. Nico, as a lifelong city-dweller, thought this bizarre, but, again, found himself dragged somewhere he didn't want to be. He leaned against a sack of … something. (What? He wasn't a farmer!) They were heading for the nearest town, where Nico would either have regained his strength, or they'd be able to pick up better transport.

"I can't believe I didn't know, you know."

"About what?"

She jerked her head towards him. "About you and him. I left, I suppose, before it happened, or before you made it public. I didn't know until people started looking for you two."

"Oh. Um. Yeah. Will and I are going out." Nico glanced nervously at her. "Is that OK?"

"I'm not sure. I was initially surprised – I didn't think you'd be a good fit."

"Neither did we."

"Mmm."

They were silent for a while.

"Look –" started Nico –

"The thing you've got to know about Will," cut in Kayla, "is that he's never been loved. Not properly. Not in such a way that he's wholly and absolutely the centre of somebody's world. No-one's ever truly _cared_ about him specifically. Or, at least, that's how he feels. He might not be wrong. I mean, _we_ love him, as our big brother, and everybody _likes_ him, but that's not quite the same."

Nico nodded. Kayla clearly wanted to talk to him about Will.

"How much do you know about his backstory?"

Nico thought. "A little bit. I know his mum died when he was very young, and that he grew up in an orphanage. I know he doesn't like his dad. Your dad."

Kayla nodded. "That's the basic story. Obviously, I wasn't here when Will arrived, but I know he wasn't the same as he is now. Some of the people who've been a Camp a long time remember it. He turned up here as an eleven year old whose life had become progressively more miserable, and whose best friend was more often than not a bar of chocolate. He'd been shunted around various orphanages and foster families, and was finally claimed. Apparently, he was initially pleased about that, and threw himself into doing things at Camp, but, as you say, he came to resent Dad. The constant affairs. I mean, it affects all of us, knowing that our mum or dad is just a brief infatuation for him, but it really hurt Will, because he never knew the woman that his dad loved and left. He didn't get to know the person that Dad hardly knew either. And it made him angry."

Kayla sighed. "He covered it well. It doesn't affect how he treats the rest of us – well, in fact, it makes him love us more, because he feels that Dad doesn't. But I think he still felt that no-one loved him back in the same way." She looked at Nico. "I hope that you can make him feel that."

Nico bowed his head. "So do I." He blinked. "He does it for me."

Kayla tapped her foot against the pallet on the back of the truck. "I'm not saying this because I want to warn you, or test you, but just to let you know how much it means to him to have somebody think he's special."

Nico looked at her, his eyes cloudy. "Thanks. I know what it's like to be lonely. But what I don't know is what it's like to be lonely while constantly around other people. While always acting like you're not. I've always been fairly open – and maybe even self-indulgent – in showing my mood. But, Will, he can be much harder to read, though you wouldn't think it. Working out a miserable person's mood is easy; it's much more difficult to see what's underneath a smile."

"I don't want to make out that Will's constantly unhappy," said Kayla, quickly, "just that he's not as happy as he seems, all the time."

Nico nodded. "I know." He hesitated. "I love him, Kayla. I love your brother very much. He's changed me, and I'll always be grateful to him for that." He drew a hand across his eyes, and sat up, jolted a little by the movement of the truck. "But, enough talking _about_ Will. We have to start a plan to _find_ him."

Kayla nodded. "So, you say Iris has him?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm." Kayla chewed on the inside of her cheek. "Iris carries messages through IMs, right?"

"Yes…" said Nico, wondering why she was saying something so obvious.

"But she doesn't actually _move_ to where the message is being made?"

Nico shook his head.

"So there has to be some kind of link between where Iris is, and IMs."

"I suppose so."

"Is there a way of tracing that link? To where Iris might be."

Nico pondered. "Perhaps. But even if we could, it wouldn't help much. It would only lead us directly to where she was."

"True." Kayla thought again. "Is there such a thing as an inverse rainbow?"

"Uh, a beam of white light, I guess. Or no light at all."

"That's probably a dead-end idea, too. Huh."

Nico stared over the edge of the truck. It splashed through a puddle, sending up spray that glittered with multi-coloured light. He smiled slightly. "Where would you say would be sacred to Iris?"

"Somewhere with lots of rainbows."

"And where are there the most rainbows?"

"Waterfalls?" suggested Kayla.

"Exactly what I was thinking." Nico examined his hand. "And, by the time we get to the next town, I think I'll be fine to take us on a little trip to up-state New York."

"Niagara?"

"Exactly."

"I hope you're right."

Nico sucked on his lips. "So do I…"

* * *

**Look - a new chapter so soon! It can't last...**

**Thanks to those who have reviewed so far; I always look forward to reading them!**


	44. Mission: Improbable

**Mission: Improbable**

* * *

Will wondered what all that bran was doing to his body. Was there a point when too much health food became positively _un_healthy?

Will was not, contrary to popular opinion _that_ healthy an eater. He was just better than Nico. Though that's not like that was a high bar. But all that bran. What was it doing, having been reluctantly gulped down?

Making him nice and regular, he supposed. Not that, uh, there was anywhere to, as it were, _go_…

To distract himself, and his lower bowel, Will took to investigating his tiny prison. He was still perplexed by the lack of shadows inside the cage. Light was his element. Surely this was to his advantage, if he could use it.

He ran his fingers over the bars. They were solid, like the light had become an actual material, but the grid was like a fine mesh. It wasn't a bubble, as he had initially thought. Hence the ventilation. If there were gaps, then it might bend. But not physical pressure affected it. He could hammer with his fists as hard as he could – and he _did – _but there would be no change.

Then he remembered something that he and Nico had talked about, in the Underworld. That, maybe, he could manipulate light in a similar way to how Nico manipulated shadows. Well, no better time to try that theory out.

He bit his lip, and concentrated. A ping-pong ball of light appeared in his palm. Will was so surprised that he immediately lost concentration, resulting in the ball vanishing.

Cool.

But – he wiped the sweat from his forehead – exhausting. But, still, intriguing, and potentially promising. If he could harness it, maybe he could distort the bars, and make a hole big enough to climb through. Light bending light. If he was lucky. It would take some practising, though.

He also had to get Iris to let her guard down. If he was going to do this, then he was going to need a guaranteed length of time. At the moment, Will reckoned, Iris, or one of her lackeys, came to check on him every half an hour or so. That probably wasn't enough time. But how to convince her that he wasn't dangerous? How to make her think he wasn't going to escape?

Will pondered. Then he smiled. He needed to get her to believe that he'd lost hope, that he'd realised that he was never going to be rescued, that he thought that there was nothing in his future but this cage (and, of course, that bran). He needed to seem distraught. This was going to be embarrassing, but hopefully it would pay off.

* * *

The next time Iris appeared, Will covered his face, quickly wiping his eyes.

"Are you _crying_, Will?" said Iris.

"No." He straightened up as much as he could in the cage. "Not at all." His voice wobbled slightly.

Iris smiled. "Of course not. You're a brave hero. Not a rat caught in a trap. You're not crying because your so-called lover has made no attempt to rescue you, nor because you've failed in your futile attempts to escape. No, you're absolutely fine. Stoical, even."

"Yes." Will coughed. "I could keep this up all day."

"We shall see."

* * *

It was a few more visits before Will allowed them to see him cry. A couple more, and, whenever someone came, he was curled up at the bottom of his prison, sobbing. Then he moved to staring unresponsively ahead of him, dead to anything and everything.

As Iris watched the crumbling, and then total collapse, of Will's resolve, she became brighter – and more careless. This reached the point when she said to one of her grunts that they needn't bother guarding "the boy" anymore – he was broken.

She laughed, and mocked him for a while, but when it was clear the Will wouldn't – or, rather, _couldn't_ – respond, she lost interest, and disappeared.

Will kept up the blank look for a little while after she left, and then broke into a grin. He'd convinced her of his lack of hope: now to capitalise on her credulity!

For, in between his bouts of crying, Will had been practising with his new-found light ability. He'd gradually got the ball to be larger, and more intense, and then he'd started trying to direct it, and, several miserable (and sometimes painful) failures later, succeeded in doing so. When he managed to get the ball near the edge of his cage, the bars, as he had suspected, started to bend around it. It was just a little bit, at first, but soon it buckled wide enough for him to put his finger through the gap. And then his hand.

They (whoever _that_ was) said that it took ten thousand hours of practice to become an expert at something. Will didn't have that kind of time. But, then, he didn't need to be an expert. He just needed it to work _once_.

And this was that time.

Summoning all his willpower ('_Ha_!' thought a very stupid part of Will), he focused on creating the largest ball of light he could. He managed a slightly deflated basketball. He guided it towards the edge of the cage, at about shoulder height.

The bulge in the bars widened to become a hole ringed with a shining halo. Unsure how long he'd be able to keep it up, Will decided to squeeze through it, and not try and make it bigger. It wasn't really big enough for him at the shoulders, stomach, or hips (three parts of him that were probably necessary), but it was as wide as he could get it. It was going to have to do. Too, too solid flesh be damned.

Well, melting and turning to dew might be useful at this moment.

Cautiously, he ducked his head to the hole. It passed through the light he had created, which hung where his hands had left it. And then his head was outside the cage. He tried not to think about what might happen if he lost the light now, and the cage returned to its original shape.

Contorting, he put an arm out, like a bizarre version of the front crawl. That left one shoulder out, and one in, his upper body slanted. Then he tried with the other. The light was inside him now, but still glowing. Will could see it if he bent his head towards the floor and looked back at the bars. With both hands out, he could lean down and touch the floor, his body sliding, tightly, painfully, through the gap. Now he was on all fours, half-in, half-out.

He let his lungs contract as far as they could, bringing his ribcage in. He walked forwards on his palms, bringing his body further out.

Then he got down to his tummy, and got stuck. No! He sucked in as far as he could. Ah. He was already sucked in as far as he could go. He tried pulling with his hands, and pushing with his feet. Nothing. Then he had a thought. He focused again, pouring all his energy and desperation into strengthening the intensity of the light. The gap widened. Not much, but enough that, as Will twisted, held his breath, and squirmed, when he pushed off from the bottom of the cage with all the strength he had, he forced his stomach free, and himself fully out of the hole.

And he was free!

He slammed into the floor. The shock of the impact broke Will's concentration, and immediately extinguished the light. He lay there for a few moments, a little stunned, and panting heavily from the long magical exertion. He sat up, still wheezing, and grimaced. His shirt was soaked with sweat. Now, he supposed, he knew how Nico could get so tired. _He_ could do with a bit of infirmary rest after that.

But he had to get out of here. He'd been lucky, but Iris and co. could be here at any moment, with no warning.

Will looked about the room, for the first time able to see it all. There was, to his relief, a door. He looked back at the cage. With his light source gone, it was returned to its original oval shape, as if nothing had passed through it.

He had no time to admire it further. He got to his feet and hurried towards the door. It was open – they were clearly confident in the effectiveness of the cage – and, on the other side, was nothing but a large series of flights of stairs, presumably between other floors, of which Will found himself at the very end. He groaned. This was going to be a long climb.

He grimaced. First things first – was there a toilet nearby?

It took three floors to find a bathroom. It took three more before Will found a floor that seemed used, and hadn't come straight out of a catalogue for Evil Underground Bases.

This was probably the first escape attempt in history with a rest break. This never happened to James Bond. Will crinkled his nose. Was that the difference between fiction and reality?

What now? Find the exit, and escape from this place, or sneak around, and try to find out what he could before he left.

A large part of him – a large, frightened, overstrained part, which had already been who-knew-how-long captive, and had no desire to be so again, because this time it might be _worse_ – wanted to just get out of here. In fact, that part of him might be so large that it may as well have been labelled 'Will'.

Another part, though, pointed out that this was probably the best chance he'd get to be in this place, and, besides, getting out was going to prove risky enough, he may as well use it for doing more than saving his own skin. That bit, Will reckoned, might be labelled 'Nico'.

Where _was_ Nico?

Though Will was rather proud of having worked out how to escape his prison all on his own, he was slightly disappointed that his boyfriend hadn't mounted a huge rescue operation.

So: self-preservation, or investigation.

He sighed. He knew which one it had to be. He wished Nico hadn't confiscated (read: thrown in the sea) his stealth paint.

He pushed open the door, and, cautiously, made his way along the carpeted (carpeted!) corridor.

* * *

Will poked his head around a door. A long table. Lots of chairs around it. Was that a _flipchart_ at the end? He snorted. This was a conference room. Of, presumably, evil. Like the rest of this place, it was more like a swanky office-block than a centre for rebellion against the gods. There was even a socket for a laptop, to connect to the projector. 21st century godding. But with 12th century BC aims…

He frowned at a familiar-looking shape about halfway down the table. A black streak stood out above it. Careful of, though not really expecting, traps, Will made his way towards the object. He was a few seats away before he realised what it was.

It was Nico's sword. Clearly that was Ares' seat, and, apparently, Ares liked to play with weapons while in discussion. This didn't really surprise him.

Nico had said that his sword would only work to its full power for a child of the Underworld. Will presumed that this stipulation had intrigued, and then frustrated the war god. Hence why he'd kept the sword, and why he'd left it stuck into the table like an outsized paper weight.

Will closed the last few metres to the sword. Now that he was here, he should probably rescue it too. Nico would want it back.

He pulled.

Nothing happened

Maybe it was like King Arthur. Only the chosen –

Will staggered back, the sword, free, in his hand.

Or maybe he just hadn't been pulling hard enough. Huh. He waved Nico's sword around, trying to recreate some of Nico's sword fighting moves –

Ouch!

He grabbed his wrist in pain, as the weight of Nico's sword twisted it round further than he'd expected. He winced. He hoped he hadn't sprained it. How did Nico wield that thing? Especially back when he'd been a skinny bag of angles and Happy Meals. The best Will could do with it was try and move it towards other people, and hope they ran away. Nico always said he needed to practise. Will was insistent that it wouldn't come up.

So he'd been wrong. Not that he'd be telling Nico that, though.

Showing the sword (a bit recklessly) through one of his belt loops, Will carried on up the table, hoping for anything that might help work against Iris.

There was a discarded set of papers. Will flicked through them. _Objectives … Deployment … Evaluation … Cost-benefit analysis … Restructuring…_

Ha! A lucky find. Most of it was in management-speak (an evil if ever there was one), but it might be useful. He shoved it into his pocket. There was a diagram on the flip chart. He copied it onto a scrap of paper.

Nothing else in here.

A door at the end of the room led to another corridor. A large wooden door was about halfway down. It had 'Iris' on the nameplate.

Why the Hades did it have a nameplate? This was _insane_!

Will crept over to it, and, holding his breath, listened at the hinge. There was no-one inside. He tried the handle. Not locked. Security here was _super_ lax.

Inside, it seemed an ordinary office: desk, filing cabinet, lamp, etc. No windows. Did that mean they were underground? It certainly felt underground. Far from the sun. An odd place for Iris to choose, perhaps.

This was clearly her office. There were little rainbows everywhere, cast from prisms dotted around the room. That was an obsession with your attribute, Will thought.

Now, what was he looking for? A folder with 'My Evil Plan' written on it?

Will went to the desk. Very tidy. This needed careful thought. If he was running a rebellion, what would he write down –

There was somebody coming. Will felt his stomach drop, both at the fact he might get caught (after such an extraordinary run of luck, too – he'd seen nobody, and not even any security cameras), and that it was such a predictable turn of events. Here he was, sneaking around an enemy base, and someone was coming down the corridor. This bit really was like a movie.

He glanced quickly around. What would James Bond do now?

Will put his hand on the hilt of Nico's sword. He didn't think using it would be a wise move, unless he got desperate. He'd probably do more self-inflicted damage, to be honest.

OK. So, something else. Run?

Only one exit.

Hide?

Where? Under the desk? Behind the door?

The filing cabinet! It was large, and created a big enough block that he could get behind it, maybe without being seen. It also offered easy access to the door if he needed to make a break for it.

Will grimaced. He would probably need to make a break for it. OK. So, it wasn't the best hiding place in the world, but it was the only one available. And those footsteps – fast – were getting a lot closer.

Will ran to get behind the cabinet, pressing himself flat against it. Hi body was covered by its shadow, if he pulled himself in as small as he could get.

Will pressed himself against the wall as he heard the footsteps get closer, and closer, and –

* * *

**...**

**(again)**

**Reviews, as usual, keenly sought.**


	45. Mission: Improbable II

**Mission: Improbable II**

* * *

"You are such a snob, Nico di Angelo."

"I am not!"

"_Hicksville_?"

Nico scowled. "What?" He gestured around them. "I would say that this was the very definition of the place."

Kayla pulled a face. "Yeah, of course, and my mum's also my sister. And was abducted by aliens. And I play the banjo and make dewy eyes at close relatives and cattle."

"I don't mean stupid stereotypes like that –"

"Good, because as it stands _you're_ the one snogging your cousin."

"He's not my cousin!"

"Let's work it out, shall we? Apollo is Hades' nephew making Will –"

"My first cousin _once removed_."

"Which is _so_ much better."

"In Greek terms, it's practically no relation at all." Nico huffed. "Besides, it's hardly like Will and I need to worry about our children becoming genetic abominations. We can have all the sex we like and things will be absolutely fine."

"Doesn't matter. In this state, it's illegal."

"Only because in this state people try it…" muttered Nico.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing!"

Kayla smacked him on the ear.

"Hey!"

"Apologise for besmirching my honour, and that of my state!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! No more besmirching from me. Honest. Promise."

Kayla glared at him for a while. Nico stared coolly back. It was a little unnerving how similar to Will's her eyes were.

"Good," she said, abruptly. Then she hesitated. "Uh, when you said that you and Will can have all the sex you like, did you mean that you two actually are, you know, um –"

Nico widened his eyes in horror, his face heating up to resemble a tomato. "Gods, _no_! We're _fifteen_, Kayla! Fifteen! We're not – of course we're not – I just meant we _could_, in the future –"

"So you've thought about it?" teased Kayla. She winked. "Imagined it." She ran her tongue over her lips, smirking. "_Fan-ta-sized_ about it!"

"No! Shut up!" Nico was now past tomato, and entering some kind of deep jam-like red. Even his neck coloured slightly. This was the problem with _girls_. They were trouble. They thought too much about – well, things that boys thought about too – well, if he admitted it to himself, boys were _trouble_ as well, and –

"No! Shut up!" cried Nico again.

Kayla frowned. "I hadn' -"

Nico looked away. "Er, no, that last one was directed at me. I got … carried away."

Kayla raised an articulate eyebrow. Nico felt a spasm of copyright infringement.

"Well, to prove my point, we've been sitting in the main square – if you can _call_ it that – in this town – if you can call _it_ that – somewhere in the back end of beyond – if you can call it _that_ – and not seen a single form of transport other than the one that dropped us off here." Nico crossed his arms. The conversation was over. He'd _won_.

"Ye_eaahh_. But it wouldn't really get us anywhere near where we want to go. Because we're really just waiting for _someone_ to get better after overexerting themselves."

OK. Maybe he hadn't won. "I didn't mean to! I was dealing with an actual threat!"

"Oh, I don't dispute that. But you were too slow."

"Hmph." Nico crossed his arms. "Can't you do that thing that Will does, where he makes me better faster?"

"No. Only Will seems to be able to do that. We don't know why, and neither does he. He's tried to teach us often." Kayla sighed. "It's frustrating."

"I'll say."

"Also, um, I think most of his effectiveness in your case comes from the fact that he loves you." Kayla smiled. "You're nice and all, but, uh –"

"Not your type?" ventured Nico, a grin pulling at his lips.

"Uh-huh. You have a special relationship."

"That sounds sickening." Nico looked at his fingers. "I can see them now, though. I think that means I'm ready to try again."

"Are you sure?"

"The longer we wait, the more danger Will could be in." Nico chewed his lip. "And the more likely it is that he'll do something stupid."

"Like what?"

"Like try and escape on his own. He'll only muck it up."

"Huh. Like you could be trusted in the same situation."

"I could!"

"Oh, yeah?"

She really was like a female version of Will. Huh. Why had he not met this girl before?

Nico grabbed hold of Kayla's arm. "Come on. Don't throw up."

* * *

Kayla stumbled, letting go of Nico, and collapsed onto the ground.

Nico stepped forward, worried. "Are you OK –"

Kayla rolled over, beaming. "That was _awesome_! Can we do it again?"

Nico snorted. "One way in which you're _not_ like Will… And, yeah, we'll probably have to, at some point."

"Are we there?"

Nico gestured.

Kayla turned away from Nico, and, when she did so, gasped. "Woah!"

"Yeah, it's a pretty good view from here," said Nico. He smiled slightly.

The two of them had materialised on the edge of the river opposite the falls themselves, and were some way back from it. Still, the roar was pretty loud, though Kayla thought it odd that she'd not noticed the sound at first.

"You've been here before?" she asked, noticing that she was raising her voice a little.

Nico nodded, and looked a little sad. "Yeah. With Will. We take weekends every now and again to go sightseeing." He bit his lip. "Now, to find him again."

"Look!" said Kayla, pointing at the huge rainbow which arched out of the spray. "This certainly feels like the right kind of place."

"Mmm. But let's not get our hopes up. We could just as easily be wrong." Nico grimaced. "I mean, it would be pretty remarkable if our first guess turned out to be right, right?"

She nodded. "So what do we do to find out? What do we look for?"

Nico pondered. "Well, I know that there aren't any caves behind it, and it's certainly not the kind of waterfall that you can go _through_, but there are tunnels cut into the rock so that you can see the waterfall from behind. Maybe they've been extended?"

Kayla shrugged. "It's got to be worth a try." She jerked her head. "Let's go."

Nico held out his hand.

Kayla looked at it blankly.

Nico smiled. "Did you think we were going to pay for tickets?"

* * *

The roar was much louder from here.

"How close are we?" shouted Kayla.

Nico pointed behind her. Again. He wasn't setting this up. Honest.

Kayla turned to see a sheet of water falling past the gap in the rock. "Cool!" She stared at it. "It's so close! So powerful!"

Nico nodded, distracted. He paced up and down the tunnel, squinting at the rocks.

"What are you looking for?" asked Kayla.

Nico shrugged. "I'm not sure," he mouthed. Kayla might have known that he wouldn't be one for yelling over the sound of the falls.

Nico bent his head against the tunnel wall and tapped his fingers over the smooth surface. He murmured a few things to himself, which were totally lost in the constant noise, but, from the shape of his lips, might have been something like 'feed the weasel', or, more likely, 'I need Hazel'.

Kayla watched as Nico closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the wall. He was like that for a little while, before moving back out again, red indentations on his forehead. He was frowning. Meeting Kayla's eyes, he jerked his head at the wooden barrier.

"No!" said Kayla, her eyes wide. "That's insane!"

Nico just walked over to the barrier and jumped over, waking towards the mouth of the man-made cave. After a moment of fearful hesitation, Kayla followed him. As they got closer to the spray, the floor got wetter and wetter, and, ominously, slipperier. Outside the cave, the stone projected a little as a short platform, running with water. They weren't even at it, and already she and Nico were soaked. In front of her, Nico suddenly went flat.

Kayla started forwards, thinking that he'd fallen, only to slip and fall down onto the floor herself. Nico flicked his head around, water streaming from his hair. "Are you OK?" he yelled, breaking his silence. Even then, it was almost too loud to hear anything.

She stuck her thumb up. She'd be bruised, she knew, but other than that she was fine. "What happened?" she called back.

"Nothing."

"What?"

"_Nothing_!" shouted Nico. "I'm just lying down!"

Kayla nodded, having no idea what he'd said. He seemed OK, though.

Nico pulled himself forwards to peer over the edge. Was there anything down there? He couldn't see. He leaned over a little bit further. He still couldn't get his head around the rock –

He started as he felt something close around his ankles. He looked back to see that it was Kayla.

"I've got you!" she mouthed, giving him a thumbs-up.

Nico nodded. He didn't really need anyone to 'get him', but, whatever. He leaned over again, pressing himself into the wet stone, and curling round until he saw – a cave. It was narrow, and quite hard to spot, but it was certainly there.

If it was the place, then this seemed a promising indication.

Momentarily forgetting that Kayla was still clinging on to his legs, Nico shadow travelled into the cave.

He remembered once he was standing in the cave, and a weight seemed to be dragging him out. There was something that sounded like a scream above the water, too. He twisted to see Kayla hanging half out of the cave, her own feet swinging above the roiling water of the vast, and rocky, plunge pool.

He quickly pulled her more safely in. Telling Will he'd accidentally sent his sister falling to her death was probably not going to earn him many boyfriend points. Even if he was here to rescue him.

"Are you hurt?" shouted Nico.

She shook her head.

Good. On to the next thing. The cave that they were in was rather small. There was space for, perhaps, one other person in there. And the noise! Hardly somewhere to develop plans for rebellion. Nico traced his hands over the walls. There had to be something he was missing…

Kayla poked him (rather harder than she needed to, Nico thought). Nico turned. She pointed to an area of the wall where there was an indentation. Nico frowned at her. Had she hit her head in her fall?

Shaking her head at his confusion, Kayla put her finger into the indentation. If it had been quieter, they probably would have heard a _click_. Had it been a movie, they would probably have heard it even over the waterfall.

But it wasn't a movie, so the back of the cave swung open apparently silently.

Surprised (and delighted to have been proved right on the first attempt), to two of them went in.

The door closed behind them. Immediately, the sound of the water was cut off.

"We did it –" started Kayla, before Nico quickly wrapped her hand around her mouth. She had been continuing at her over-the-waterfall volume. After a warning look, Nico removed his hand.

"We did it!" she whispered. "We're really here!"

"Uh-huh. Turns out Iris isn't as clever as she thinks she is."

"Let's get going. But be careful, and hold on to my hand." Nico looked at her keenly. "At the first sign of trouble, we're shadow-travelling out of here."

Kayla nodded, and they started down the corridor.

"Are you humming the _Mission Impossible_ theme?"

Nico reddened slightly. "No…?"

* * *

"This place is too confusing!" hissed Kayla. "How are we ever going to find him?"

Nico shook his head. "We just have to be methodical. We keep a note of where we've been, and eliminate the possibilities. I reckon, also, that he'll be somewhere out-of-the-way. Maybe there's a way further down."

"But so far, it's just corridors."

"Really quite plush corridors," mused Nico, trailing his hand along the wallpaper.

"Well, you know what gods are like. They need their little luxuries."

"Yeah, but this place is just so mundane." Nico screwed up his face. "It's as if a load of accountants decided to take over the world."

"How would you tell?"

"True."

The pair of them reached a wooden door.

"Through here?" suggested Kayla.

Nico held up a hand, and put his ear against the hinge. "I can hear something…" he murmured.

"What?"

Nico shrugged. "Let's find out." He slipped his sword silently from his hip and into his hand, ready. Beside him, Kayla took hold of her own, and positioned herself on the other side of the doorframe.

Nico put his hand on the door handle. The pair exchanged glances, Kayla nodded, and then he opened the door –

* * *

**And we'll see what happens some other time...**

**Reviews wanted, as ever.**


	46. Lost Property

**Lost Property**

* * *

Nico advanced cautiously through the door. He frowned at the empty corridor. "Huh."

Kayla poked him. "What is it?" she whispered.

"No-one here…"

* * *

The door opened, and, before Will had a chance to hold his breath, a woman strode in, a stack of papers in her arms.

Will would have frowned if he wasn't sure that that would have made some noise. She wasn't Iris. And yet, the way in which she acted made it look like she knew what she was doing. The casual way in which she moved things around Iris' desk, apparently looking for something, seemed, to Will, to indicate that she didn't much care about Iris' stuff. But Will, awkward as his viewpoint was, had no idea who she was.

The woman cursed under her breath and banged her fist on the desk. "Typically useless!" She started muttering to herself. "Must be … conference room … earlier –" With another sigh, the woman turned sharply and went out of the door.

Will let out the tiniest of breaths, but kept himself pressed against the cabinet. That had been a lucky escape, but he had no idea if she was coming back.

* * *

Kayla was about to mock Nico, when a door halfway down the corridor opened. She heard Nico's breath hitch, and felt his fingers tighten around her wrist. Then she felt really _weird_. And why weren't they getting out of the way?

A woman came through the door. Kayla didn't recognise her. Her heart hammered. Why were they just standing there?

The woman turned towards them. Kayla waited to die.

She didn't seem to see them. Not even a flicker of recognition that there was anyone in the corridor.

Kayla frowned, and then looked down at her arm. It was blurred – like it was part of the air. She glanced at Nico, who grinned. Then Kayla realised that he was keeping them merged with the shadows.

The woman – probably a goddess – walked right past them, and through the door they had entered by. Her footsteps got further and further away.

* * *

The door opened again. Will tried to flatten himself even further into the shadows than before. He didn't even try to see who it was. He presumed it was that goddess, back with whatever she was looking for, or having forgotten something.

He squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't want to die.

* * *

Nico stepped towards the desk at the far end of the room. Then he froze. Kayla bumped into him. He turned, glaring, and held a finger to his lips.

"What?" she mouthed.

Nico narrowed his eyes. "Not sure…" he mouthed back. "Shadows."

"What?" she mouthed again. Lip-reading wasn't a skill Kayla was very good at.

Nico, though, was preoccupied with staring at the wall. Or, rather, a shadow on the wall. Drawing his sword, he went silently towards it.

* * *

Will could hardly breathe. Partly this was because he was sucking his stomach in so far that his lungs were practically on the other side of his spine, but partly because he could hear the person coming towards where he was hiding.

The footsteps stopped. Very close by.

He felt something cold pass in front of his face, and then something cold, hard, and sharp touch his neck.

Terrified, he opened his eyes.

* * *

"Will!"

* * *

"Nico!"

* * *

The two boys wrapped their arms around each other, Nico dropping his sword, and locked into a kiss.

After a little while, Kayla coughed politely. Will opened an eye, raised an eyebrow, and stuck his tongue into Nico's mouth.

Kayla rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and waited. And waited. And then waited a little bit more.

Eventually, they stopped kissing each other. Which was, Kayla reckoned, quite a relief. Their swollen lips seemed to agree.

Their owners, though, didn't, and went in again.

It was like watching a mother bird feed its chick, though taking longer, and, to be honest, being a little more disgusting. It turned out that, contrary to what you might think, watching two people kiss – and by kiss, in this instance, what was meant was 'suck each other's faces off' – was slightly disturbing. Like, where did Will end, and Nico begin?

It was all very philosophically confusing. Also, Nico had some of Will's spit running down his chin. Eww. Kayla didn't think that she'd ever love anyone _that_ much. Nor want to.

People said that romance was dead. And it was. Romance had committed suicide by being accidentally gross in situations like this.

At long last, they separated, and panting, stared into each other's eyes. That, Kayla had to admit, was quite touching, as was the bit where they just folded into each other. Will, she could see, was crying. She could bully him about it later. Nico wasn't crying, of course. His eyes were just wet with condensation. Yeah. That's what it was. Well, that's what, later, he told her it was.

Kayla coughed again Will looked at her again, this time registering the oddity of her being there. "Hi," she said. She waved.

He waved silently back, frowning.

"Long story." She glared at Nico. "Best saved for when we _get out of here_."

Nico, though, wasn't paying attention. He was too busy gaping at something in Will's hands.

"My sword!" he squealed.

He took it from Will and hugged it tightly.

After a couple of minutes, Will exchanged glances with Kayla.

After a couple more, they exchanged another. "Um, I'm not oblivious to the fact that you've been hugging that sword longer than you hugged _me_…"

"I've known it longer," said Nico, not opening his eyes, "and, also, lost it longer." Then he loosened his grip and slipped the weapon to his belt. He grinned slyly at his boyfriend. "And it's more useful."

Will pretended he hadn't heard, or that he didn't care, or that, if he had a comeback, it was to devastating to share, but he made a mental note to delay treatment of Nico's next inevitable injury. "Love you, too."

Nico seemed all geared up for a sarcastic response, but then he just caught Will's hand, and sighed. "Yeah…"

There was another period of silent mutual adoration.

"Well," broke in Kayla, "this is sweet and all, but can I remind you that we're in the middle of the enemy stronghold? Liable to get caught at any time?"

"Oh, uh, yeah."

"How did you get here?" asked Will.

"Shadow-travelling, of course." Nico took hold of Kayla, and offered his arm to Will. "Which is how we're leaving."

"Hang on!" said Will. He ran to the desk and picked up the papers that the woman had left. "I think these might be useful."

He grabbed Nico's arm. "OK. You can go now."

Nico nodded. "Nice to know, sunshine. But we're going to need to get a little closer to those shadows."

They shuffled, slightly awkwardly, across the carpet.

* * *

"I hate that…" groaned Will.

"I love it!" said Kayla.

"Freak." Will squinted in the light. "Is this – are we at Niagara?"

"Yep," said Nico. "That's where Iris was keeping you." He smiled. "And we worked it out. First time, too!"

Will ruffled Nico's hair. "Well done."

"Thanks." Nico frowned. "Was that meant to be sarcastic?"

"No – I really _am_ impressed." Will kissed the top of Nico's head. "I've missed you."

"Me too."

Kayla punched Will in the side.

"Ooof." Will turned to his sister, clutching his tummy. "What was that for?"

"This!" said Kayla, gesturing at him and Nico. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Will blinked. "We didn't?"

"No!"

"Oh. Really?"

"Yes!"

"I thought I'd said." Will bit his lip and blushed. "Is it that much of a surprise?"

"That you're gay? No. That you're going out with _Nico_? Yes!"

"Hey!" said Nico. "Why's that such a surprise?"

"Because I never thought Will would have the guts to ask anyone out."

"Oi!" complained Will. "I do too!"

"Actually," mused Nico, "_he_ didn't ask _me_."

Kayla smirked. "Knew it."

Will pouted. "I would have done! I just needed … time." He looked at their sceptical faces. "What? It's true!"

"Mmm." Nico sighed. "Fun as teasing Will is, we should probably focus." He gestured to Will's hand. "What was that paper you picked up?"

Will spread them out over a nearby boulder. "It was some things that this woman brought in."

"Iris?" asked Nico.

"No. Another woman – goddess, I think. She was there just before you arrived."

"Oh, right, I know who you mean," said Nico.

"Did you recognise her?"

"Nope. Not someone I'm familiar with."

"Me neither."

"Me neither," said Kayla. She looked at their curious expressions. "I just wanted to be involved, OK?"

Nico looked over the paper. "It's mostly charts. Of Camp – both of them. Of Olympus, too." He squinted. "Hmm."

"Hmm?" prompted Will.

"So, from these, I'm no longer so sure that Iris is in charge," said Nico slowly, frowning at one of the pages. "See, here, there a note from her asking if she can go ahead with the plan – and then it's signed Θ. That's not Iris. That's someone else."

"She's senior? Who could that be?" asked Kayla.

"Yeah," said Will, "I thought that. This woman – the one who came into the office with those papers – she came with Iris when I was being held prisoner. Iris seemed to defer to her."

"Did she have a name?" asked Nico.

Will shook his head. "She never said." He huffed. "I note very little sympathy on the 'I was held prisoner' front."

"Oh!" Nico hugged Will. "I forgot to ask – are you OK? How were you treated?"

"I'm fine. I was in this kind-of light cage. They never touched me." Will pulled a face. "I was made to eat an unholy amount of bran, though."

"Poor Will," said Nico, smiling slightly. "You must have been so, so brave."

"I was." Will put on a serious expression. "You should be proud."

"Oh, I am," said Nico. "Constantly."

"How did you escape?" asked Kayla. "It was almost like you didn't need us."

"Well, I convinced them that they didn't need to watch over me so closely –"

"How?" asked Kayla. "Did you show them how you looked down on their prison?"

"Uh, actually, I pretended to cry until they thought I was so pathetic that I was no threat."

"Oh. That seems less heroic."

"It was ingenious!" Will said, affronted. "Plus, it worked. So, I discovered that I can do this –"

He made a ball of light with his hand.

Kayla stared, amazed. Even Nico looked a little impressed.

"I bent the light around it, and climbed out." Will grinned. "Quite simple, really. Could have done without you, even."

Nico snorted. "Would you like me to take you back inside and wait for you to actually get _out_ of the whole place?"

"Was it actually _behind_ Niagara Falls?"

"Yup."

"That's quite cool."

Nico nodded. "It's where I'd have my evil base."

"Well, now we know where to look, in future…" said Kayla. Will laughed. Nico scowled.

"That's quite enough chat," said Nico. "Time to go." He held out his hands.

"Where to?" asked Kayla.

"Camp Half-Blood. I think it's time Will and I came back to life."

* * *

**More to come at some point...**

**Reviews are great, if you care to leave them.**


	47. The Fun in Funeral

**The Fun in Funeral**

* * *

Annabeth fiddled with the beads around her neck. This wasn't right. They shouldn't be doing this. How could this have happened?

Nico and Will. Will and Nico. Two people that had seemed so permanent. So unfazed by the craziness of the world. So _alive_. The pair of them had ambled – well, mostly bickered – through life, taking whatever came at them with a cheery (/sarcastic) attitude. Each of them utterly dependable in their separate spheres, to be relied on to be there and be competent no matter what the issue was. They could also be depended on to be together. If you wanted Nico, you looked for Will. If you were after Will, you asked after Nico. It often seemed like they had been tied together. Of course, people had said that about her and Percy, but with Nico and Will it was extended to a radically different degree. Far more than simply close, they were practically symbiotic.

They were hardly predictable. The whole Will-and-Nico thing had hardly been predictable.

What she had never expected, what no-one had ever expected, was that they would die. It didn't seem possible. Will would have stubbornly refused to die, while Nico, they had all presumed, having found himself dead, would have scowled and walked straight back out of the Underworld.

But this, this… It just seemed too lame for them. Killed sneaking out of camp for some unknown reason. In some unknown way. A regular monster attack. You'd have thought it would have taken a god to kill them both. Though, to be honest, she hadn't checked – maybe they _had_ managed to take a god down with them. But she doubted it. There'd have been more of a fuss. But what had happened to them?

This was the strange thing. Nico and Will were dead – that's what was repeatedly said. But no-one ever said how, or where – and no-one asked. Where were the bodies? Who knew. So they were having a funeral for a pair of empty shrouds. She was convinced that there was something more to it than this. But what?

Nico and Will had definitely had something bothering them in the months up to their disappearance. All that interest in how people's powers worked. And then they'd started going on little trips. Maybe they were little romantic jaunts, but, for one, that didn't seem Nico's style, and, for another thing, they went to some pretty weird places. Percy had said that they'd ended up in his dad's palace. Lately Jason had mentioned something about them being convinced of some ridiculous conspiracy theory about the gods. She'd pressed him for a bit more information, but he couldn't remember.

Was that in itself suspicious? Maybe.

She felt bad about not pursuing it at the time. It was the sort of thing she was normally interested in. Never take anything for granted. Don't believe what people say. But she'd been so busy this last year: applying for college, trying to live her life in the mortal world, preventing Percy from single-handedly destroying their school. The usual. But, this year, she'd taken her mind off the supernatural. She'd thought there was nothing to worry about.

It seemed that she had been wrong. If only this hadn't been the result. She was determined, though, to take up their suspicions. She would pursue them as far as she could. She hoped to vindicate them. If only she didn't need to.

It was almost time to go.

Percy had been in the bathroom a long time. She knew that he was trying to hide how upset he was. She didn't understand why he felt he had to.

"Percy?" she called out. "It'll be starting soon."

There was a muffled sound, which might have been an 'OK'. It might also have just been a sorrowful moan.

Annabeth waited for Percy to pretend that he hadn't been crying. The door to the bathroom opened, and he came out.

He'd not done a good job of pretending. His eyes were red, his face had a residue of tear-trails only half-heartedly wiped away. She hugged him.

"Come on. Let's go and say goodbye."

* * *

The dress code, it had been decided, was to be a compromise between the two boys. It was unthinkable that any tribute to Will would be in black; to appropriately remember Nico _without_ black would be equally wrong. So they'd gone with black accented with splashes of bright colour. Some people – indeed, almost everyone – looked rather stylish. Not that stylish was what you necessarily wanted at a funeral.

They'd delayed the funeral for a few days. Partly to get everything ready, partly to allow people time to arrive; but mostly in the hope that it wouldn't be true. That Will and Nico would pop back up. Or, at the very least, by delaying the funeral, they could pretend that they weren't dead – that they were merely missing, or just away, or playing a joke, or that they were still there, in the camp with them, but were somehow invisible. But they couldn't keep that up.

Their two shrouds were beautiful. The two shrouds had been laid side by side and touching. They would burn together in the same flame. The Apollo cabin, somewhat shorthanded though it was, had worked with others to create a shining, shimmering web of gold, which seemed to move even when laid still. A black stripe ran all the way around the edge. Almost every cabin had chipped in to help with Nico. It was sad that, for all that Nico had once been uncertain about fitting in, it was here that it was showed how integral he was to the camp. It as black, but glistened with gem-like patches threaded into intricate designs which caught the light. Like with Will's, there was a band around the edge; this one was, of course, gold.

Once the camp had gathered by the shrouds, it took a while for the ceremony to start. Jason kept standing up, looking around, realising what he had to do, and then crumpling back to the ground. Unlike Percy, Jason had no inhibitions about crying in front of everyone.

Eventually, he got up, managed to stay up, and shuffled slowly into the middle of the circle. Once there, it took him a little while to speak, and, when he did, his voice was mostly muffled by his crying.

"O gods," he began, "give your blessings to these two. Our friends, Nico and Will, who –"

"You're doing it all wrong!"

There was a gasp from the group. Jason turned, shocked.

* * *

Scowling, Nico walked into the middle of the circle, next to the two shrouds. "Why are you even standing _there_? You should be _here_." He dragged Jason to a slightly different position, and then walked around the two shrouds. "You've aligned them wrong, and I bet you weren't even going to do the libations properly." He looked around. "Where even are the libations? How are you going to appease the ancestors?" He shook his head. "I go away for a few days and the whole place goes to pieces. Huh."

He then seemed to notice the ring of startled people. He raised his eyebrows. "What's your problem?" He looked at the shrouds, and something seemed to click. "Oh. Sorry. Who…?"

Will then stepped out of the shadows, followed by Kayla. If it was possible for the camp to go even more into stunned silence, this was when that happened. He took Nico's hand. "I reckon that would be us."

Nico's mouth twitched up. "Oh, yeah… Oops." He looked round the funeral again. "Uh… _Surprise_!"

* * *

In the huge, crushing, mega-group hug that immediately ensued, Will was almost afraid that he and Nico really would be killed through lack of oxygen.

Things eventually reasserted themselves, and, unsquashed, Nico and Will (_and_ Kayla!) stood back in the centre of the circle.

"So, what happened?" asked Percy.

And so Nico and Will (and_ Kayla_) told their story. Mostly leaving out the bits that made themselves look unheroic, or credulous, or reckless, or that would just be slightly embarrassing.

The camp was silent for a while, digesting in horror what Will and Nico had told them.

"And you didn't let us know you were alive before now, because…?" said Jason, his eyes still bloodshot from crying.

Will smiled weakly. "We were going to! But, uh, we wanted the element of surprise on Iris, you know? And how would we have contacted you anyway, given that IMs were off-limits?"

"He," Jason pointed firmly at Nico, "can _teleport_."

"Point taken," murmured Nico. He bit his lip. "But even that would have been too risky. We kind-of had to keep you in the dark, to keep it realistic. You wouldn't have seemed upset enough –"

"We were upset, Nico! Was it good enough for you?" shouted Jason, his eyes burning. The wind started to pick up.

"OK, OK, I just don't see why –"

"Nico! I really –"

"Don't over-react. You're being ridic –"

Will decided that it was time to step in. "What Nico means is that he's very sorry, and is very moved by how you reacted. He wishes he could have told you, but it just wasn't safe to do so. He hopes never to do it again, and really, really hopes that he can make it up to you."

"Does he mean that?" asked Jason.

"Do I?"

"Yes." Will glared firmly at his boyfriend. "You do."

Nico bowed his head. "Yes. I do." He looked up at Jason, and then at Will. He opened his mouth to say –

Will pushed him towards Jason. "Now, _hug_."

Nico did as he was told. And it did make him and Jason feel better.

"You're not forgiven, though," said Jason, trying to be angry and not smile at the same time. "You really shouldn't have done that." He looked at Will. "And neither should you."

"This is all secondary, though," said Annabeth, stepping forwards, and away from Percy, who hadn't been able to stop grinning since Will and Nico had returned. "Now we know, we need to prepare. We need to know which gods are against us, and how we combat them."

She looked at Chiron. "We need to fix this. Quickly. And, ideally, without too many deaths. We need to stop this rebellion."

"What makes you think they're all going to be on your side?"

The camp turned to see a woman that no-one recognised. No-one except Will, Nico, and Kayla, that is. And, from his expression, Chiron.

* * *

**... It's been a while. Sorry...**


End file.
